We've taken back the house!

It's been three days since I left Happy Valley, and I still can't believe that the events I witnessed took place.

Saturday's game was at least 10 years in the making. With year after year of humiliating losses by a cocky Michigan squad, Penn State finally turned the tables and declared victory over the Michigan Wolverines! It had to be the single greatest moment since the Appalachian State upset last year, with the 1997 comeback over Ohio State trailing not far behind.

With Penn State's undefeated record this season combined with the first Michigan squad to grace the gridiron post-Lloyd Carr (a squad that's been falling apart at the seams, with high-profile losses against Toledo, Illinois, and even Notre Dame), I was unexpectedly confident about Penn State's chances going into this game—though like some others, I still felt like I was walking on eggshells, because it's very hard to forget some of the most controversial and back-stabbing moments in the history of Penn State-Michigan match-ups. The 2005 game comes immediately to mind, where Lloyd Carr literally stole the game from Penn State by demanding that the officials add two seconds to the game clock at the very end of the fourth quarter . . . two seconds in which Michigan scored a game-winning touchdown. (I can't help but remember, too, how all the play-calling and penalties went in Michigan's favor that day.)

The bitterness that resulted from that game will take a long time to be forgotten, but this past Saturday's game was definitely a step in the right direction!

Nora and I carpooled up to the game with Wiley and Ashley, and Wiley proudly donned his "Ann Arbor is a whore!" T-shirt. That afternoon, as tailgates cooked and clocks ticked onward towards game time, the atmosphere in Happy Valley was electric, permeated with one simple thought: payback! The fact that it was Homecoming added a great sense of anticipation and glee to the hoped-for thrashing of Michigan.

When the game got underway, I was a bit rattled when Penn State had a bad snap and lost several yards on their first play, but I tried to keep my fingers crossed that it was only a fluke and not a portent of things to come. Sadly, as the first quarter wore on, that bad first snap proved to be anything but a fluke, because Penn State lost the ball several times on really bad fumbles, had good plays overturned, and missed a key field goal when the ball bounced off the upright. By the end of the first half, with the Nittany Lions down 17-7, moods around Beaver Stadium alternated between resignation, despair, and disgust (as evidenced by the fan sitting in the row behind us, whose feelings on the current Nittany Lion squad grew more colorful with each play). Memories from all those humiliating Michigan losses began to creep back. Actually, no—they began to flood back! And it really begged the question of whether Penn State could ever beat this team, could ever put Michigan in its place.

When the Nittany Lions ran back out onto the field at the beginning of the second half, somehow things began to feel different. The air began to clear, and I think everyone knew what we had to do by the time this night had ended.

That feeling proved accurate, because as the third quarter progressed, the Nittany Lions played with much more heart than I've seen in a while! We scored one touchdown and one field goal to tie up the score, and I genuinely think the game got turned around when we sacked the Michigan quarterback in the end zone for a safety, bringing the Nittany Lions ahead 19-17. It was the first time in a couple years we had taken the lead over Michigan, and I sure wanted them to keep it that way!

Though I didn't dare count Michigan out of the running, because I knew this team well enough to know that, by hook or by crook, the Wolverines have managed to come back and overtake the Nittany Lions too many times before. With each passing touchdown by Penn State (and there were plenty!), I mentally tabulated how many plays Michigan would need to overtake us. Even when we were ahead 46-17 in the fourth quarter, I still couldn't bring myself to declare that we had the game in the bag! Even though four touchdowns (with extra points) wouldn't be enough for Michigan to retake the lead, I still couldn't count them out. I guess the 2005 game weighed too heavily on my mind.

But all reservations aside, Beaver Stadium truly came alive with each new touchdown or field goal by the Nittany Lions. That feeling of vindication and deliverance was heavy in the air, and every Penn Stater in the stands (a full 110,000+) thrilled with the magic of finally delivering comeuppance on the team that had beaten them down for the last 10 years. It was more than enough to warrant the victory toast of Wild Turkey back at the tailgate.

I think it's safe to say that the glory days of Michigan are over. That their grand sense of self-importance and entitlement are over. From here on out, they get to reap what they've sewn, and I'm proud that I got to witness one of the most crucial games in the annals of Penn State football!

This is a time I can truly say . . . we are Penn State!!!