Penn State football fell to No. 2 Indiana in a close 27-24 heartbreaker this past Saturday. Sadly for fans, this isn’t the first time Penn State football has lost in the final moments of a game.

A few of those last-second collapses stand out the most, and here at Onward State, we decided to list a few of those final moment gut-wrenching losses.

Penn State vs Notre Dame, Orange Bowl 2025

Every Penn State fan remembers the heartbreak of Drew Allar’s last-minute interception. It was a great season, only for the dream of reaching the national championship to be ripped away in the final moments.

If you were somehow able to block the game from your memory, the score was tied 24-24 right before disaster struck. Allar’s pass was intercepted by Christian Gray at the 42-yard line with 33 seconds left in the game. Notre Dame would reach the 23-yard line in a few short plays, allowing Mitch Jeter to kick a 41-yard field goal to give the Fighting Irish a 27-24 lead with just seven seconds remaining in the game.

Penn State vs Oregon, 2025 White Out

This one still stings. Penn State, predicted to compete for a national championship and ranked No. 3 at the time, fell to No. 6 Oregon in overtime.

The Nittany Lions trailed 17-3 with a little over 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter. An impressive final frame inside Beaver Stadium allowed Penn State to tie it up with just 30 seconds remaining. The two teams traded touchdowns in overtime, but nostalgically, Allar threw a game-losing interception to Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman in the second overtime.

Since then, the season has torpedoed. The Nittany Lions now sit at 3-6, without their star quarterback and head coach.

Penn State vs Ohio State, 2017

Not quite a last-second loss like the others on this list, but still painful. After beating Ohio State for the first time in four years during the 2016 season, Penn State returned to face the Buckeyes in Columbus the following year.

No. 2 Penn State led at halftime, but No. 6 Ohio State battled back to make it 38-33 with 4:20 left in the fourth quarter. The teams traded possessions until Ohio State scored a touchdown to go up 39-38 with 1:48 remaining. Penn State was unable to convert anything in the final minute and left the Horseshoe defeated once again.

Penn State vs Michigan State, 2017

Another 2017 gut-punch. The two teams were evenly matched throughout the game.

After a lengthy weather delay, Penn State led 24-21 entering the fourth quarter after a touchdown with no time left in the third. Michigan State would go on to tie it 24-24 with just under 11 minutes to go. Both teams traded interceptions, but with no time left, Michigan State kicked a field goal to win 27-24.

Penn State vs Michigan, 2005

Another Michigan heartbreaker.

In a 2005 matchup, Michigan led 3-0 at halftime and 10-3 entering the fourth. The Nittany Lions would rally to take an 18-10 lead with 11:39 left.

Michigan responded with a passing touchdown and a successful two-point conversion to tie it with under 10 minutes left. A field goal soon gave the Wolverines the lead. Penn State threw an interception, but followed with their next possession with a rushing touchdown to go ahead 25-21 with just 53 seconds left.

Michigan drove down the field, and with one second remaining on 3rd-and-4 at the Penn State 10-yard line, Chad Henne connected with Mario Manningham for a touchdown to seal a 27-25 victory.

Penn State vs Minnesota, 1999

Minnesota hadn’t beaten a top-five opponent in over 20 years before pulling off this upset. The No. 2-ranked Nittany Lions entered the game 9-0 and dreaming of competing for a national title.

With the Nittany Lions in the lead, the Gophers would close out the game with a 27-yard tipped pass on fourth-and-16 with 1:22 left. This would set up Minnesota for a 32-yard field goal as time to beat Penn State 24-23. As time expired, so did the Nittany Lions’ national title hopes. Penn State would then drop its final two regular-season games of the year and a 24-0 shutout in the Alamo Bowl.

In the end, Penn State has had a lot of close losses. Still, Penn Staters continue to back the Nittany Lions throughout it all.

Ella is a second-year Telecommunications major from Miami, Florida. She enjoys taking photos, all genres of music, coffee, and has become a self proclaimed grandma. If needed, you can contact her through email at [email protected] or on Twitter @ellawehm