Giftopoulos picked Testaverde clean. photograph by John Biever

With the national championship on the line in the Arizona dessert, Penn State unveiled its secret offensive weapon: its defense. The Nittany Lions intercepted five Vinny Testaverde passes and returned them for 91 yards. That gave Penn State's defense more receiving yards than its wide receivers, who amassed just 53. The Nittany Lions sealed the win when linebacker Pete Giftopoulos picked off a pass from Testaverde—who earlier in the season had thrown 114 straight passes without an interception—with 18 seconds left in the game and the Hurricanes deep in Penn State territory. Giftopoulos's celebration was surprisingly low-key: He didn't even keep the ball. "Why should I keep it?" asked the Hamilton, Ont., native. "If you keep it, you've got to give the NCAA $50. That's $75 Canadian."

'63 USC-Wisconsin | '64 Texas-Navy | '69 Ohio St.-USC
'72 Nebraska-Alabama | '79 Alabama-Penn St. | '83 Penn St.-Georgia
'87 Penn St.-Miami | '88 Miami-Oklahoma | '93 Alabama-Miami
'94 FSU-Nebraska | '96 Nebraska-Florida

Flashback | One vs. Two