Is This Real Life?! Nittany Lions Just Shattered a 100-Year Record — And What Happened Next Broke the Internet!
State College, PA — Sports fans, brace yourselves. What unfolded Saturday night at Beaver Stadium wasn’t just a football game — it was a full-blown cultural event. The Penn State Nittany Lions not only delivered a historic beatdown against the Wisconsin Badgers, but in the process, they shattered a 100-year-old college football record so spectacularly, the internet still hasn’t recovered.
🏟️ The Setup
The Nittany Lions came into Saturday’s matchup ranked No. 7, riding high on a five-game win streak. Spirits were high. Expectations were big. But no one — and we mean NO ONE — predicted what was about to happen.
By the end of the first quarter, Penn State had scored 35 unanswered points. By halftime, it was 63-3.
At this point, ESPN commentators were running out of adjectives. But what really set the night apart came late in the third quarter, when redshirt senior Malik Thompson — a wide receiver known more for his blocking than his highlight plays — fielded a short kickoff and ran 108 yards (thanks to a penalty flag moving the play to the back of the end zone), juking six defenders, hurdling a man, and diving into the end zone.
That return broke a 100-year-old NCAA record for longest scoring play from scrimmage. The previous record, set in 1925, stood at 107 yards.
“It wasn’t just a return,” said former Penn State legend Ki-Jana Carter. “It was an event. You’ll tell your grandkids about this.”
📱 And Then the Internet Lost Its Mind
Within minutes, the video had gone viral. TikTok clips of Thompson’s run hit 10 million views in under an hour. Twitter/X was flooded with reactions, memes, and fans declaring it “the greatest college football play of the decade.” Even NFL stars like Patrick Mahomes and J.J. Watt weighed in, calling the play “unreal” and “pure madness.”
Then came the twist no one expected: Malik Thompson was mic’d up. And what he said during the run?
“I don’t even know where I’m going, I’m just running for history!”
That one line was clipped and turned into a soundbite. Within hours, it had become an instant meme, trending under the hashtag #RunningForHistory. A remix with Travis Scott’s “FE!N” dropped the next morning and charted on Spotify.
🏆 The Aftermath
By the time the dust settled, Penn State had finished the game with a final score of 98-10, setting:
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The most points scored in a game by a Big Ten team since 1904
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The largest margin of victory in Penn State history
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Three new individual school records (yards, total TDs, and special teams return yards)
Coach James Franklin, fighting back emotion in the post-game press conference, said:
“Tonight wasn’t just about football. It was about legacy. It was about rewriting history.”
🎉 What’s Next?
The win catapulted Penn State to No. 3 in the national rankings, and Malik Thompson — who started the season as WR4 — is now being talked about as a potential Heisman dark horse. The university bookstore reported selling out of his jersey within 6 hours of the game ending.
And the internet? Still broken. Still buzzing.
