NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
The Oregon Ducks are gearing up to play the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2024 Big Ten Championship, which is something almost nobody expected to be saying a week ago. The Ducks punched their ticket to the conference championship after beating Maryland on their way to a perfect 12-0 season, and Penn State got in because of Ohio State’s stunning loss to Michigan in rivalry week.
This will be Oregon and Penn State’s fifth matchup ever and the first in almost 30 years. The other three games took place in the early sixties, with the Nittany Lions taking two and the Ducks winning one. But the standout game in this series is the 1995 Rose Bowl.
The 1994 season preceding the ’95 Rose Bowl was a special one for Oregon. It was legendary head coach Rich Brooks’s final year with the Ducks, as he left to coach the St. Louis Rams at the end of the season. That year, the Ducks broke a five-year losing streak against the No. 9 Washington Huskies, due in large part to a late pick-six from Kenny Wheaton, on their way to a Pac-10 title.
Penn State was undefeated in the ’94 season leading up to the Rose Bowl. It was Joe Paterno’s 28th year coaching the Nittany Lions. Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins led the Big Ten that year in passing yards (2,679) and touchdowns (21) that season, and the Nittany Lions’ top running back Ki’Jana Carter led the conference as well, with 1,539 rushing yards and 23 TDs.
As the No. 2 team in the country, Penn State was favored to beat the Ducks, and oh boy did they. Oregon lost 38-20, despite outgaining the Nittany Lions. Oregon quarterback Danny O’Neil threw for 456 yards and 2 TDs, but he also threw two interceptions, which ended up being the difference in the game.
The loss to Penn State was tough, but a Rose Bowl appearance was monumental for Oregon football in the 1990s. Thirty…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/rout-rose-bowl-oregon-seeks-120855420.html
Author : Ducks Wire
Publish date : 2024-12-05 12:08:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
