Hidden Gems: Oregon State 2008

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Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images It was only the second game of the season, but it was the first major sign that this Nittany Lion team might be something special. We’re bringing back Hidden Gems! Some of you longtime BSD readers may remember this series where we reflect on the games that we’ve enjoyed over the years that haven’t quite lived on in Penn State lore. We’ll be giving these games their due, as we reflect on a variety of memorable (but not too memorable) games from different Nittany Lions teams over the years. Next up...Penn State shows some offensive firepower against a worthy Pac-10 (!) program. Penn State entered the 2008 season with modest expectations. They were ranked No. 22 to open the year, and by and large, most people expected a similar to story to how 2006 and 2007 went — a good, solid team that would finish right around the 9-win mark. After all, Penn State was breaking in a new starting quarterback in Daryll Clark, and had some question marks at linebacker after Sean Lee went down with a torn ACL in the spring. The Nittany Lions opened the season with a shellacking of at-the-time FCS Coastal Carolina, but welcomed a stingier opponent in Oregon State in Week 2. The Beavers weren’t mistaken for a powerhouse program, but after winning 10 games in 2006 and 9 games in 2007, it was a true litmus test for what the 2008 version of the Nittany Lions could be.
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Considered the test passed. From the opening whistle, Penn State left no doubt on a dominant performance. Here’s the five 10 possessions of the game:

• Oregon State: 3-and-out
• Penn State: 8 plays, 67 yards, touchdown (Evan Royster)
• Oregon State: 3-and-out
• Penn State: 7 plays, 55 yards, touchdown (Mickey Shuler)
• Oregon State: 4 plays, 29 yards, punt
• Penn State: 4 plays, 27 yards, punt
• Oregon State: 5 plays, 8 yards, turnover on downs
• Penn State: 2 plays, 28 yards, touchdown (Evan Royster)
• Oregon State: 3-and-out
• Penn State: 5 plays, 70 yards, touchdown (Evan Royster)

That made it 28-0 Penn State with 11:11 left in the second quarter. Truly, the game looked like you put Madden on “beginner” difficulty — everything was so easy, both offensively and defensively. The Nittany Lions coasted the rest of the way, scoring 17 more points en route to a 45-14 victory. But man, if Penn State wanted to drop 70 that afternoon, it could have with relative ease. That’s how in-sync and locked in Penn State was on both sides of the ball. At the time, I was 14 years old. I hadn’t really seen too many “dominant” Penn State teams. My earliest memory of Penn State football is 2000, so while I did have the 2005 team, the vast majority of my upbringing was pretty ugly football. Even the good teams of 2006 and 2007 were much more of the “grind it out” win variety. Shoutout the 2006 12-0 victory over Purdue. The 2008 team was different though, and this blowout of Oregon State (which finished 9-4, and knocked off No. 1 USC just three weeks later) was the first sign of things to come. In the weeks that followed, Penn State put 55 points against Syracuse, 48 points against Wisconsin, and 46 points against Michigan. After watching Anthony Morelli-led offenses for the previous two seasons, seeing Penn State surpass 40 points multiple times felt like witchcraft.

Source: https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2024/6 ... oyster-bsd