The greatest play in Penn State football history happened five years ago

ALTOONA, Pa. -- If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then the video below is worth millions.

Millions of words.

Millions of smiles.

Millions of memories.

To millions of Penn State football fans.

It happened five years ago today, on Oct. 22, 2016.

The play that brought Penn State football back.

The greatest single play in Nittany Lion history.

Sure, there have been many huge plays in Penn State's storied history. These would be my three other finalists, in the order they occurred:

THE CATCH

Gregg Garrity's 47-yard diving TD catch from Todd Blackledge to help beat Georgia, 27-23, in the 1983 Sugar Bowl for  Penn State's first national title. The Lions had a 20-17 lead when Garrity scored that TD, so it put them up 27-17, and they held on to beat Herschel Walker and the Bulldogs.

THE INTERCEPTION

Pete Giftopoulos' interception against Miami's Vinny Testaverde to seal a 14-10 win in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl and Penn State's second national title. Many Penn State fans may still consider this the greatest play, which is reasonable given what was at stake. Penn State already had the lead in this game and had picked off Testaverde four other times, so the expectation going into this play was still that the Lions would win the game. Very few people had to be thinking that was the case prior to the blocked field goal in 2016.

THE RUN

Saquon Barkley's incredible 79-yard TD run against USC in the 2017 Rose Bowl, an epic game Penn State lost, 52-49, but one of the greatest runs we've ever seen in college football.

For as great as those other plays were, especially the two that helped win national titles, for me they don't quite stack up to the sheer incredibility and impossibility factor of the block, scoop and score against Ohio State.

Just a few weeks earlier in 2016, a lot of Penn State fans wanted James Franklin fired after a 49-10 loss at Michigan. But after beating Ohio State thanks to the remarkable blocked field goal and touchdown, the Lions went on to capture the Big Ten championship and berth in the Rose Bowl (where Barkley made his remarkable run).

That win over Ohio State turned Penn State back into a national power, way earlier than anyone else expected following the dark days after the scandal and sanctions.

To take a trip down memory lane, here's part of the game story I wrote for the Altoona Mirror after that stunning victory over Ohio State:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
UNIVERSITY PARK -- Soak it all in. Enjoy it. That's what James Franklin wanted his players to do following Penn State's historic win Saturday night over No. 2 Ohio State.

"Awesome. Just awesome," Franklin said.

"I just want to soak this all in. I just want to enjoy tonight," he added.

The coach also told his players, "Before you leave this locker room, nights like this don't happen very often. Savor it."

The Nittany Lions stunned the Buckeyes, 24-21, before a raucous whiteout crowd of 107,280 fans at Beaver Stadium. Penn State rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the fourth quarter, getting enormous plays from all three phases of the game to stun Ohio State and end its 20-game road winning streak.

"This is a special night," Franklin said.

The kind of night all Penn State fans everywhere will remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when the program picked up the signature win so many people have been looking for following a tumultuous five years in Happy Valley.

"This is for everybody," Franklin said. "This community has been through so much in the last five years, and this is a big step in terms of healing.
"A win like tonight … I believe football has the ability to bring a community together like nothing else."

Ohio State led, 21-17, when it lined up for a 45-yard field-goal try by Tyler Durbin with 4 ½ minutes remaining. Safety Marcus Allen ran up to the line of scrimmage and leaped high, blocking the ball and sending it squirting backwards.

Cornerback Grant Haley sprinted to the ball, scooped it up and had a lot of green in front of him. As he raced down the left sideline, the only thing potentially stopping Haley from reaching the end zone was holder Cameron Johnston, a punter.

Johnston caught up to Haley at the 10-yard line, but Haley slipped away and finished off the highlight-reel play by falling into the end zone for a 24-21 lead with 4:27 left to play.

"The whole thing's a blur to me right now, to be honest with you," Franklin said.

Ohio State, which came in averaging 49 points and more than 500 yards of offense per game, still had plenty of time left to try and come back behind star quarterback J.T. Barrett.

The Buckeyes didn't get off to a good start in their final series as they returned the kickoff to just the 11-yard line. Barrett helped them pick up a couple of first downs out to the 42, but that's when the PSU defense stepped up big time.

On second-and-10, Barrett went for a home run ball down the left sideline to James Clark, but backup cornerback Jordan Smith was there in solid coverage to break it up.

On third down, Barrett was sacked by Brandon Bell for a 13-yard loss.

Down to its last chance on fourth-and-23 from the 29, Ohio State couldn't protect Barrett, and he was sacked by Kevin Givens and Evan Schwan to turn the ball over on downs and seal the win with only a minute remaining.

With the victory, Penn State (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) now almost certainly will be ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since before the scandal in 2011. 

The Lions also, with a favorable remaining schedule, are looking at the possibility of a 10-2 regular season, which no one would have thought possible a short time ago.

Following a 49-10 loss at Michigan, some were wondering about Franklin's job security. Athletic director Sandy Barbour gave him a vote of confidence a few days later, and following Saturday's upset, the thought now of Franklin being on any hot seat seems laughable.

Franklin thanked Barbour, PSU President Eric Barron and deputy AD Phil Esten for the support they've shown.

"A couple weeks ago those guys came out strong for me and this program, and this doesn't happen tonight without that as well," Franklin said.