Alabama–Penn State football rivalry
The Alabama–Penn State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the University of Alabama and Penn State Nittany Lions football team of Pennsylvania State University.[1] Dormant since 1990, the series was renewed in 2010 in Tuscaloosa and then 2011 in State College.[2][3][4]
| First meeting | December 19, 1959 Penn State 7, Alabama 0 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | September 10, 2011 Alabama 27, Penn State 11 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 15 |
| All-time series | Alabama leads, 10–5 |
| Largest victory | Alabama, 42–21 (1982) Alabama, 24–3 (2010) |
| Longest win streak | Alabama, 4 (1975–82) |
| Current win streak | Alabama, 2 (2010–) |
 |
| Locations of Alabama and Penn State |
Notable games
1959 Liberty Bowl
1975 Sugar Bowl
1979 Sugar Bowl
Alabama scored in the second quarter, then Penn State answered in the third, then Alabama took a 14–7 lead on a touchdown set up by a 62-yard punt return.[5] Penn State had a chance to tie in the fourth, but Chuck Fusina threw an interception into the Alabama end zone. Then the Crimson Tide had a chance to put the game away, but fumbled the football back to Penn State at the Nittany Lion 19-yard-line with four minutes to go. Penn State drove to a first and goal at the Alabama eight. On third and goal from the one, Fusina asked Bama linebacker Marty Lyons "What do you think we should do?", and Lyons answered "You'd better pass." On third down, Penn State was stopped inches short of the goal line.[5] On fourth down, Penn State was stopped again, Barry Krauss meeting Mike Guman and throwing him back for no gain.[5] Alabama held on for a 14–7 victory.[5]
Game results
| Alabama victories | Penn State victories |
| No. | Date | Location | Winning team | Losing team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 19, 1959 | Philadelphia, PA | #12 Penn State | 7 | #10 Alabama | 0 | ||
| 2 | December 31, 1975 | New Orleans, LA | #3 Alabama | 13 | #7 Penn State | 6 | ||
| 3 | January 1, 1979 | New Orleans, LA | #2 Alabama | 14 | #1 Penn State | 7 | ||
| 4 | November 14, 1981 | State College, PA | #6 Alabama | 31 | #5 Penn State | 16 | ||
| 5 | October 9, 1982 | Birmingham, AL | #4 Alabama | 42 | #3 Penn State | 21 | ||
| 6 | October 8, 1983 | State College, PA | Penn State | 34 | #3 Alabama | 28 | ||
| 7 | October 13, 1984 | Tuscaloosa, AL | Alabama | 6 | #11 Penn State | 0 | ||
| 8 | October 12, 1985 | State College, PA | #8 Penn State | 19 | #10 Alabama | 17 | ||
| 9 | October 25, 1986 | Tuscaloosa, AL | #6 Penn State | 23 | #2 Alabama | 3 | ||
| 10 | September 12, 1987 | State College, PA | #19 Alabama | 24 | #11 Penn State | 13 | ||
| 11 | October 22, 1988 | Birmingham, AL | Alabama | 8 | Penn State | 3 | ||
| 12 | October 28, 1989 | State College, PA | #6 Alabama | 17 | #14 Penn State | 16 | ||
| 13 | October 27, 1990 | Tuscaloosa, AL | Penn State | 9 | Alabama | 0 | ||
| 14 | September 11, 2010 | Tuscaloosa, AL | #1 Alabama | 24 | #18 Penn State | 3 | ||
| 15 | September 10, 2011 | State College, PA | #3 Alabama | 27 | #23 Penn State | 11 | ||
| Series: Alabama leads 10–5 | ||||||||
Series record source: 2011 Alabama Football Media Guide,[6] and College Football Data Warehouse.[7]
References
- Nissenson, Herschel (October 24, 1986). "Penn State-Alabama continues with its championship drama". Gainesville Sun. Associated Press. p. 3C. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- Lynn, Britton (September 9, 2010). "Penn State rivalry goes far back". The Crimson White. Tuscaloosa, AL. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- Davis, Rece (September 8, 2011). "Alabama, Penn State renew rivalry of respect". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- Zenor, John (September 9, 2010). "Alabama-PSU rivalry has produced classic moments". San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- Dodds, Tracy (January 2, 1979). "Penn State fails to hold back the Tide". The Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, WI. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- 2011 Alabama Football Media Guide Archived 2011-07-10 at the Wayback Machine, University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, pp. 176–195 (2011). Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- College Football Data Warehouse, Alabama vs Penn State Archived 2011-10-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 28, 2011.