Time flies: Arizona-Penn State Kickoff Classic was 16 years ago

[BobPSU92]

August 28, 1999. #3 Arizona versus #4 Penn State. I remember waking up that morning really pumped for the game. While I was concerned by how good Arizona might be, I knew Penn State had a strong team. I watched the game with alumni at a local alum's house. It was over quickly. Highlights:

 

[PennStateNate]

Both teams were pretty overrated. They both looked good on paper, but both had holes. Arizona a lot more.

 

[rudedude]

Watching this makes me sick by recalling how stunned I was when Dan Nystrom made the field goal for Minnesota's upset. That really blew apart that season. Man Chafie Fields was quick!

 

[PennStateNate]

You could hear a pin drop in the Beav after the long pass completion.

Honestly that team should have lost 5-6 games that season.

 

[Nittany18]

I remember going to that game. Arizona had a Heisman candidate named Trung Canidate, PSU shut him down!!!

 

[Nittany18]

Wow that video was awesome, great day!!!! Joe was fired up!!!!

 

[scottpsurules]

August 28, 1999. #3 Arizona versus #4 Penn State. I remember waking up that morning really pumped for the game. While I was concerned by how good Arizona might be, I knew Penn State had a strong team. I watched the game with alumni at a local alum's house. It was over quickly. Highlights:

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This was absolutely one of my most enjoyable games at the Beav. I had purchased around 15 tickets from Arizona, we had a caravan drive up, and sat in the Arizona section. Behind us were several Arizona students, who during pre-game and early in the game, non-stop yelled "speed kills". At some point in the first quarter, I turned with a big smile on my face and let them know they were absolutely correct. Before half they left their seats and never returned.
With 15 friends along it was a great way to start the season.

 

[Victor E. Bell]

Clearest memory I have of that game was all the shit talking their players did coming out of the locker room. We just happened to be on that side of the stadium which was rare. People were just standing at the ropes there while they filed out of the locker room and it was "Your team sucks, your fans suck..." coming from the players, directed to the fans. I didn't hear anybody say a word to them (not that it couldn't have happened but I didn't hear it). Then the rest of the day was a very one-sided conversation as I recall. There is no doubt they expected to win that game handily and it was a complete debacle. It may actually be the last game where we were expected to lose where we completely destroyed somebody. We upset a team in a squeaker here and there but you never saw a domination like that for a long time. To be honest though, I have no recollection what the betting line was.

 

[JoeBatters1]

Happier times - let's hope they return soon.

This also made me remember the inaugural kick off Classic in 1983 when PSU got whupped by Nebraska. The game was the last program broadcast on channel 48 in Philly before the channel went off the air. That 83' season was also memorable as PSU started out 0-3 and roared back to finish 8-3-1 if I remember correctly with a win over Washington in the Aloha bowl in Hawaii. DJ Dozier had a phenomenal freshman year that season.

 

[Sviatoslav]

31-0 at halftime... If Joe were not a gentleman it would have been even uglier than the final score. Epic humiliation

 

[tboyer]

Zona was a paper tiger and everybody should have known it. They had graduated a bunch of key players from the previous year's team. Meanwhile, PSU had almost everybody back. The Zona fans were deluded and the Zona players unfortunately had spent too much time reading their own press clippings.

That was a very good PSU team. The Minnesota loss just devastated them, took away their hope of playing for a championship -- and it just spiraled from there. Football is very psychological and if you lose your reason for playing, you can lose to almost anybody.

If they had managed to pull out the Minnesota game they might have run the table. But whatever. That season was really on Paterno. He had great defensive talent and thought he could win every game with defense -- the offense was poorly prepared and just not very interesting. With just average offensive coaching, that 1999 team would have been hard to beat.

 

[ApexLion]

August 28, 1999. #3 Arizona versus #4 Penn State. I remember waking up that morning really pumped for the game. While I was concerned by how good Arizona might be, I knew Penn State had a strong team. I watched the game with alumni at a local alum's house. It was over quickly. Highlights:

View embedded media

The game was great but it paled in comparison to the pre-game smack on here from the Zona fans. Pure fun on here for about a month. The Camp Cochise threads were hilarious. "They practiced among the scorpions and rattle snakes under a blazing sun on 110 degree days." Zona was the sexy pick for No. 1 by the media all summer and they had some talent but ultimately they didn't have size or physicality. Penn State was a very bad match up for them.

When you run the tape, its somewhat scary. We actually hurt their team and when I mean hurt several of their kids were either knocked out (concussed) or carted off. Watch the last PSU touchdown before half as an example -- two Zona kids can't get up. Total physical and game plan annihilation.

 

[psurudy]

I remember the banter from the Arizona fans on this board.

 

[Michael.Felli]

Preseason Polls are generally a REWARD for the previous season. Arizona had a very very good year, the year prior. But, they were very over-ranked in the preseason.

Nonetheless, I remember the game well. Was fun to watch and it was a simpler time.

 

[acksallstars]

I sat in the Arizona section. Meet some nice folks. BUT boy, were they bummed out with the game!

 

[lionroar88]

I'll never forget all their fans coming over to the old board and telling us 'PSU doesn't stand a chance against The Camp Cochise Posse', that we were going to lose 100 - 0, that Trung Candidate was going to have over 200yds in the first qtr, etc, etc, etc. Not a one came by after the game.

 

[PSU-Knocker]

I'll never forget all their fans coming over to the old board and telling us 'PSU doesn't stand a chance against The Camp Cochise Posse', that we were going to lose 100 - 0, that Trung Candidate was going to have over 200yds in the first qtr, etc, etc, etc. Not a one came by after the game.

Yeah, I remember this bird who called himself "Wicked Wanda" who for most of the Summer came over and told us that we have never seen a defense like theirs and their Quarterback was so fabulous that we didn't stand a chance. He never visited after the game. That was really sweet.

 

[bwifan]

Remember it was 1 of the hottest games I have ever been to.... They were literally throwing ice cubes to people in the 2nd half as people in the stands were passing out in the heat

 

[Fox Chapel Lion II]

One of my favorite games ever. An epic asskicking.