PSU had gone undefeated in 1985 but came up short against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl championship game. In 1986 PSU repeated the undefeated regular season but entered the 1987 Fiesta Bowl as huge underdogs against the #1 Miami Hurricanes. No one, especially not Heisman Trophy winner, Vinny Testaverde (are you seeing a trend here?), or coach Jimmy Johnson gave Penn State a snowball's chance in Tempe.
But the Lions kept their cool, both on and off the field and defeated UM 14 - 10. Testeverde threw 5 interceptions and the Lions defense forced 2 fumbles. John Shaffer and DJ Dozier scored for PSU.
Late in the 4th quarter, Miami pieced together a drive down to the Lions' 5 yard line. The Hurricane defense had been tearing up the field, but Johnson chose to throw. Testaverde was sacked and then they had to put it up. With time ticking away, Vinny threw the ball into a sea of white jerseys. Pete Giftopoulos stepped in front of the ball, sealing the Lions' victory. The Lions had slayed the giant and won their 2nd National Championship.
5/30/2006
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