Welcome back to Lion Tales, a weekly historical look at Penn State football. Marshall and Penn State have played twice – with the Lions holding a 2-0 edge in the series with both games being played in 1929 and 1930 respectively.
So, we’ll skip any recap of just how those games went, though that 1930 squad struggled to a 0-4-2 mark after their 65-0 win against Marshall.
Instead, we’ll take a look back at some coaching debuts, starting with the most recent and working back to Rip Engle.
When Penn State takes the field on Saturday for Matt Campbell’s first game as the team’s head coach, it will mark just the fifth time since 1950 that the Nittany Lions have a full-time head coach making his debut. We will skip the interim coaching debuts of Tom Bradley and Terry Smith, looking at how the Lions opened a fresh new season with a fresh new face on the sideline.
2014: James Franklin
“Oh it’s so sad to think about the good times, you and I” – Taylor Swift released her album 1989 featuring a famous single with those lyrics just a few months after Penn State took the field in Ireland to open the James Franklin era.
The Lions were in Dublin to take on UCF in a game that was scheduled when Penn State was under sanctions and it looked like they wouldn’t play any bowl games for a few years. So, Croke Park, rather than Beaver Stadium, was the venue for Franklin’s first game. It was a good one, too. Christian Hackenberg passed for 454 yards and Penn State led much of the day.
However, it was Sam Ficken who played hero, booting a field goal on the game’s final play to cap a thrilling two-minute drill. There was much celebration and the Lions ultimately finished the year with a 7-6 record and a win in the Pinstripe Bowl.
2012: Bill O’Brien
We don’t need to rehash the buildup to this game, but September 1, 2012 marked the first time since the 1960s that Penn State had a different coach on the sideline for its opener. It started well for the Lions, who had parts of their roster gutted by sanctions. Wearing their names on the back of their jerseys, Matt McGloin threw a pair of touchdown passes to spark the Lions to a 14-3 halftime lead.
But the second half was controlled by the Bobcats. Penn State turned it over a couple of times, most notably a fumble by linebacker/punt returner Gerald Hodges. Ohio outscored the Lions 21-0 in the final two quarters to leave with a 24-14 victory.
A week later, Penn State lost in heartbreaking fashion at Virginia before finding their footing and finishing with an 8-4 record.
1966: Joe Paterno
The first of a lot of Fall Saturdays with Joe Paterno as the head coach opened with a win against Maryland at Beaver Stadium.
The longtime assistant coach took over from Rip Engle and his squad came away with a 15-7 win against the Terrapins. The game was notable because Mike Reid recorded three safeties in the contest.
Penn State, coming off a 5-5 season, wound up going 5-5 in 1966, too. It would be the last time the Lions didn’t have a winning record until 1988.
1950: Rip Engle
Engle had been the head coach at Brown University and made the move to Penn State for the 1950 season. His team opened with an easy 34-14 win against Georgetown.
Things would get tougher for the Lions after that as Engle’s squad dropped its next three games – all on the road – against Army, Syracuse, and Nebraska.
Penn State closed out the season with a five-game unbeaten streak to wind up the season 5-3-1.