Schadenfreude: How Sweet it is

The Smeltzers (and Brian) on the field after the upset (Photo creds to Harry J. Smeltzer)

A football Saturday at Beaver Stadium is always an enjoyable experience. That's what I told myself when my mom told me that a close family friend of ours,  who has Penn State season tickets, was gracious enough to hit my family up with three extra tickets for Penn State's tilt with the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes.

My feelings were mixed. I love Penn State football, and I love visiting State College, PA, whenever I have the chance. However, I did not think that there was any way in hell that they could knock off Urban Meyer's Buckeyes. How could I? Ohio State came in undefeated and ranked #2 in the land, having just lost four games in the previous four seasons. Recent history was not on Penn State's side, either. Since 2000, the Nittany Lions had knocked off the Buckeyes just three times. While PSU did have a respectable 4-2 record, was there any reason to believe a Subaru could take down a big Mack truck?

I thought that because of it being a night game at Beaver Stadium and being a ''whiteout'',  Penn State would at least have a shot to keep things close. I thought that the adrenaline of the moment would allow Penn State to give the Buckeyes a game for a little, only to end up running out of steam in the second half. This Ohio State team had to be every bit as good as the Michigan Wolverines, who beat up on the Nittany Lions, 49-10, just four weeks prior. Surely, these young Nittany Lions could not be ready to take down one of college football's giants.

We got to the stadium at around 4:30, and began to tailgate. Our tailgate was what you would expect a tailgate to be. After a few hours of that, we headed into Beaver Stadium. About 20 minutes before the national anthem, two drunk, obnoxious Ohio State fans (there are a lot of them) sat down behind us. Within the first five words that came out of their mouths, I knew that they would be a nuisance.

Ohio State fans are, in my opinion, the worst fans in college football. They are obnoxious. They are rude. They are a little redneckish, and they regard everyone else as beneath contempt. The most annoying part about Ohio State fans is that very rarely do I, as a Penn State fan, have room to talk down to them. Given that my Nittany Lions came in as 19.5 point underdogs, I had little reason to believe that I would have bragging rights by nights end.

The pregame hype was what I expected it to be. Lots of screaming, and lots of fireworks (something new up at Happy Valley). It certainly was a great way to get pumped up, but adrenaline could only do so much. My hope was that this adrenaline would be enough to keep Penn State from getting embarrassed. When the game started, it became apparent that Penn State would not go away early. PSU received to start the game, and their quarterback Trace McSorley, and running back, Saquon Barkley, led the Lion attack down the field and deep into OSU territory. The drive should have ended in a touchdown, but instead, the Nittany Lions were forced to settle for a Tyler Davis field goal. The kick was blocked, and Penn State came away empty handed.


That was as close as Penn State would get to scoring for most of the first half. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions defense held their own against J.T. Barrett and the Buckeye attack, holding them to just a touchdown and two field goals. Nonetheless, Penn State trailed the Buckeyes, 12-0, and with under a minute to go until halftime. Remarkably, Trace McSorley was able to engineer a seven play, 74-yard drive to get the Lions within five at the break.

Ok, so the first half wasn't terrible. But come on now. Maybe the Nittany Lions can hang around for most of the 3rd quarter and some of the 4th, but nothing that I saw in the first half had me thinking upset. The Lions offense was slow. McSorley's decision making was questionable, as was Joe Moorehead's play-calling (seriously, Saquon Barkley only had 12 carries all night!) The defense was playing well, but was it sustainable? In short, my pregame prediction of a 10-20 point defeat still stood firm.

Then the 3rd quarter happened. Ohio State's explosive running back, Curtis Samuel, busted out a 74-yard touchdown run in which he would not have been ruled down even in two-hand touch. It was now 19-7. Penn State went 3-and-out on the ensuing possession, and then botched a punt that led to a safety. 21-7. Now, you can forget about victory all together. Now, the primary objective is not to get blown out. Thank God the players in Blue and White didn't think the way Joseph Arthur Smeltzer did.

The Blue and White were tough. The Blue and White were ready to do whatever it took. The Blue and White reminded us Penn State fans why we are Penn State fans. The Blue and White lived up to the legacy.

The comeback started on Penn State's first offensive possession of the 4th quarter. Much like the scoring drive that ended the first half with a bang, McSorley led his troops down the field, taking just 1:20 to cut the deficit to 7. The Lion defense was able to force a 3-and-out, and that led to a punt. This punt would be blocked by big Cam Brown, a true freshman from Burtonsville, Maryland, who forever placed himself into Penn State lore, albeit in the ''unsung hero'' category. This led to a Tyler Davis field goal, cutting the Buckeye lead to 4.


On the ensuing possession, Ohio State was able to drive down to the PSU 28, setting up a 45-yard field goal try for Tyler Durbin. What happens next is, in my opinion, the greatest PSU moment of my lifetime. Greater than Tamba Hali's sack of Troy Smith in 2005. Greater than Mark Rubin forcing a Terrelle Pryor fumble in 2008. Greater than Allen Robinson's catch against Michigan in 2013 (I was also there for that). #2 Marcus Allen, the outstanding junior free safety from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, blocked the kick, and #15 Grant Haley picked it up, and took it to the house. Penn State 24, Ohio State 21.

That's how it would stay. The Lions had done it. They beat the jerks from Columbus. They beat the whiny head coach. They messed up a lot of Saturday nights for a lot of Buckeye faithful, and I got to be there for all of it. Best of all, for the first time in my life, I got to run onto the field at Beaver Stadium and belt out the Penn State Alma Mater. In my opinion, I got to witness one of the greatest victories in PSU history.

Sure, there have been other big wins that meant more as far as polls go. But given all that Penn State has been through over the past 5 years, all of the sanctions, scandals and setbacks, and all of the doubt, this has to be my favorite victory that I've experience as a PSU fan.

I've never quoted Disney's ''Frozen'' on this blog, and probably never will again. But ''for the first time in forever'', Penn State defeated a top 5 team. For the first time in forever, Penn State is in the top 25. For the first time in forever, fans have something greater that cautious optimism about this program. For the first time in forever, things are looking up. Is Penn State back? One cannot say for certain yet, but for the first time in forever, it looks like it might be true.

Not only did I experience so much euphoria on Saturday night for obvious reasons, but I also learned a lot about how to have thick skin. After I left the field, I checked twitter to see what people were saying about the upset. Of course, I came across a few ''Joe Knew'' tweets from some of my friends at Waynesburg who are die-hard Pitt fans. I'm not proud to admit this, but this got to me. I can't explain why, as I've been used to it for the past 5 years. Nonetheless, it did take away some of my joy. But I learned from it, and my message to any Penn State fan who is reading this is that, fair or foul, we will have to hear references to Jerry Sandusky and the sex abuse scandal forever. That's just how it is, so you better get used to it, or find a new team to root for. Those who hate will not destroy my joy

The last time there was this much excitement surrounding the football program at Penn State was when James Franklin was hired back in Januray of 2014. But that was just hype. Saturday night, the players proved something. They showed who they are. They are... Penn State. And so are myself, my parents, our friend Brian, and 107,000 of our friends. We are... Penn State. And don't you ever forget it.

#1 (Photo creds to Harry J. Smeltzer)