Penn State football hits 700th win milestone with 1996 victory

Penn State fans saw their team fall short as No. 6 Oregon needed every ounce of grit to stay unbeaten — capped by a huge defensive play.

Dillon Thieneman came up with the game’s biggest moment, intercepting Drew Allar’s pass in the second overtime to seal a dramatic 30-24 win over No. 3 Penn State on Saturday night.

The Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) leaned on balance to get it done. Jamari Johnson punched in a short TD run in overtime, Dierre Hill Jr. muscled into the end zone on an 8-yard catch, Jordan Davison powered through for another score, and Atticus Sappington drilled a clutch field goal. The win gave Oregon its FBS-leading 23rd straight regular-season victory — and extended its perfect Big Ten regular-season record to 12-0.

“I mentioned that we had talked all week about getting a cut, death by a thousand cuts”, head coach Dan Lanning said. “The last interception had been the jugular.”

Penn State pushes it late

For most of the night, Oregon looked in control. The Ducks built a 24-10 lead early in the fourth after Davison’s 8-yard burst capped a 75-yard drive. The 111,015 in attendance — most in white — erupted with frustration, even chanting “Fire Franklin!” as Penn State’s offense sputtered.

But the Nittany Lions roared back. Allar hit Devonte Ross on a 35-yard strike, then found him again on a 7-yard score with just 30 seconds left to tie the game 17-17 and force overtime. Kaytron Allen opened OT with a touchdown run, only for Johnson to match it before Thieneman’s interception ended Penn State’s hopes.

Defense sets the tone early

Neither offense found much rhythm in the first half. Oregon’s defense bottled up Penn State’s rushing attack, holding Allen and Nicholas Singleton to just 18 yards combined before halftime. The Nittany Lions punted three times but managed a 49-yard field goal from Ryan Barker for a 3-0 lead.

The Ducks finally broke through late in the third when Dante Moore connected with Hill on a bruising 8-yard touchdown catch. That score flipped momentum Oregon’s way before the fourth-quarter chaos.

What it means

Oregon proved it can handle one of college football’s toughest environments, while Penn State dropped to 4-21 against AP Top 10 opponents under James Franklin.

The Ducks now get a week off before hosting No. 11 Indiana (5-0, 2-0) on Oct. 11. Penn State, meanwhile, heads west to face UCLA (0-4, 0-1) next Saturday.

On this day in Penn State history

Back on Sept. 28, 1996, Penn State became just the sixth program in college football to reach 700 wins, edging Wisconsin 23-20 thanks to a late field goal set up by Wally Richardson’s 40-yard strike to Joe Jurevicius. That team, led by legendary coach Joe Paterno, finished the season 11-2 and ranked No. 7 in the AP poll.