Penn State football’s season-opening results since 2000
Penn State opens the 2021 college football season against Wisconsin on Sept. 4. It will be here before you know it. This got us to thinking about how the Nittany Lions have fared in their season openers since the year 2000. Needless to say, there have been some mixed results since the turn of the century.
2000: USC 29, Penn State 5
(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
The 2000 season opened in late August with the Kickoff Classic at the Meadowlands. The Nittany Lions were no match for USC.
2001: Miami 33, Penn State 7
(AP Photo/Pat Little)
Another rough start to the season for the Nittany Lions, who met No. 2 Miami and were handed a 33-7 thrashing. This was the start of an 0-4 run for Penn State. Of course, the more memorable moment from this season opener was the emotional scene of Adam Taliaferro leading the team out of the tunnel as he miraculously returned to the field after his severe injury suffered during the 2000 season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYR7jucERgI
2002: Penn State 27, UCF 24
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It wasn't easy to get back on the winning track in season openers as UCF gave Penn State quite a tussle before the Nittany Lions escaped with a three-point win. That set the stage for a clash with No. 8 Nebraska two weeks later and Penn State thrashed the Cornhuskers, 40-7.
2003: Penn State 23, Temple 10
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
An intra-state rivalry started the 2003 season and the Nittany Lions doused the Temple Owls, 23-10. Robbie Gould kicked three field goals and Michael Robinson did a little of everything in the victory.
2004: Penn State 48, Akron 10
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One of four victories in the 2004 season came as Penn State rolled over MAC foe Akron in its opener. Zack Mills passed for two touchdowns, ran for one and caught a pass for another.
2005: Penn State 23, South Florida 13
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The Nittany Lions went on a 6-0 run to open this season. The first step on the streak was a 23-13 victory over South Florida. Alan Zemaitis returned a fumble 16 yards for a score and Tony Hunt rushed for a touchdown.
2006: Penn State 34, Akron 16
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Akron was back in the season-opening slot for Penn State and the Zips were easy fodder as they fell by 18 points. Anthony Morelli threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns.
2007: Penn State 59, FIU 0
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Finally, a laugher as the Nittany Lions crushed Florida International, 59-0. That was the first of three victories to open the season. The second came against Notre Dame. Linebacker Sean Lee had a sack and one of Penn State's five forced fumbles, and Anthony Morelli threw for three touchdowns and a career-high 295 yards,
2008: Penn State 66, Coastal Carolina 10
Rob Christy-USA TODAY Sports
This was long before Coastal Carolina gained attention for its run through the 2020 regular season. The Nittany Lions were fierce in demolishing Coastal, 66-10. They went on to finish the season at 11-2-1. Evan Royster ran for three touchdowns and Derrick Williams had an 89-yard kickoff return for another score as Joe Paterno tied Bobby Bowden atop the career wins list for major-college coaches.
2009: Penn State 31, Akron 7
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Akron returned to Happy Valley and the Zips left with another defeat. This one was 31-7 as the Nittany Lions were off on their way to an 11-2 season. Darryll Clark threw for a career-high 353 yards and three touchdowns.
2010: Penn State 44, Youngstown State 14
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
A game against Youngstown State provided instant energy for the Penn State faithful. The Penguins were no match for the Nittany Lions, losing 44-14. True freshman Rob Bolden threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns
2011: Penn State 41, Indiana State 7
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Another soft opponent and another romp to start the season in 2011. This time it was Indiana State that came to town and was victimized, 41-7. Chaz Powell returned the game’s opening kickoff 95 yards for a score and Silas Redd scored two rushing touchdowns.
2012: Ohio 24, Penn State 14
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Don't count your season-opening victories, especially when a school from the sneaky-good MAC arrives in State College. Everyone was shocked as Ohio won 24-14, a rude kickoff to an 8-4 season and to the brief Bill O'Brien era. The game marked the first home opener without Joe Paterno since 1949.
2013: Penn State 23, Syracuse 17
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The Nittany Lions faced a team they used to play frequently many years ago, Syracuse. The Orange put a scare into Penn State before exiting with a 23-17 defeat. Christian Hackenberg completed 22 of 31 passes for 273 yards and two long touchdowns. This was the opener in a season that was 7-5.
2014: Penn State 26, UCF 24
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A nail-biter! Christian Hackenberg was3 2-for-47 for 454 yards and directed a seven-play drive to set up Sam Ficken's fourth successful field goal in a season opener in Dublin, Ireland. It was the first game coached by James Franklin.
2015: Temple 27, Penn State 10
Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports
This season opened at Temple and James Franklin's team absorbed a 27-10 loss. Temple scored 27 unanswered points to give the Owls their first win over the Nittany Lions since Oct. 18, 1941. The Lions ran off five wins in a row after this defeat before struggling down the stretch. Christian Hackenberg was sacked 10 times in the game.
2016: Penn State 33, Kent State 13
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Back to a MAC opponent to start things off and Penn State took control and downed Kent State 33-13. Saquon Barkley had 105 rushing yards.
2017: Penn State 52, Akron 0
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One has to wonder why Penn State didn't want to face Akron in every opener. And one had to wonder why the Zips would want to play the Nittany Lions. This game was a rout, 52-0. Saquon Barkley picked up 226 total yards and two touchdowns in the rout.
2018: Penn State 45, Appalachian State 38 (OT)
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Big Ten history almost repeated itself. However, the Nittany Lions were able to avoid the pitfall Michigan suffered against Appalachian State. Penn State came out on top 45-38 in a contest that was a difficult as the score appears. Trace McSorley led a game-tying drive with less than a minute to go to force overtime and No. 10 Penn State rebounded to hold off Appalachian State 45-38 exactly 11 years after the Mountaineers stunned Michigan in one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
2019: Penn State 79, Idaho 7
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There isn't much more that can be added when you see the final score and recognize the Nittany Lions crushed by 72 points. Sean Clifford went 14-for-23, with 280 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns in little more than a half.
2020: Indiana 36, Penn State 35 (OT)
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The season that was off due to COVID-19 started in late October. The Nittany Lions visited Indiana and the Hoosiers came away with a controversial victory. Michael Penix forced overtime with a 2-point conversion run with 22 seconds left, then scored on a diving 2-point conversion to give Indiana a season-opening 36-35 upset, ending the Big Ten’s longest streak of consecutive losses to Top 10 teams at 42. The winning play went to a replay review before the officials announced the initial call stood.
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