There's something about playing football games at night, under the lights with a darkened sky above and a hint of foreboding in the air, that creates an electrified environment not experienced in the day time.

Some colleges have been playing night games for decades, but in the last few years there have been more games at night than ever before. One reason, of course, is television and the availability of games three or four nights a week, often with a choice of several games televised at the same time over a period of six hours or so.

On football Saturdays, games starting in the daylight of 3:30 p.m. on the East Coast end in the artificial light inside the stadiums as other night games begin up and down the seaboard. Meanwhile, another flurry of games start in the daylight of 3:30 p.m. on the West Coast and repeat the cycle.

However, pure night games are the ones that start and end after dark, usually kicking off between 7 and 8 o'clock in the Eastern Time Zone. So, for the purpose of this appraisal of Penn State's all time best night games, only these type of games are considered. Of course, that eliminates one of the classic Penn State games that many fans falsely believe was at night because of its dramatic finish under lights — the last-minute 27-24 victory over Nebraska at Beaver Stadium in 1982.

Actually, the first official night game at Beaver Stadium did not occur until Sept. 6, 1986. Permanent lights had been installed over that summer because of more television opportunities spurred by a U.S. Supreme Court decision against the NCAA's restrictive television policies. So, Penn State decided to use the opening game against Temple to promote its 100th Anniversary celebration of football, "The Century of Excellence." It was actually a 7 p.m. kickoff, and many of the Nittany Lions' All Americans were honored in a nostalgic halftime ceremony that ended with a 10-minute fireworks display. Penn State won 45-15.

There were no fireworks, except on the field, when the Nittany Lions played under the lights for the very first time. That was way back in 1941, on Halloween night no less, in New York's Polo Grounds against NYU on Friday, Oct. 31. The weather was lousy, with heavy rain soaking the field and keeping the crowd down below 11,000, but the Lions won easily, 42-0.

Three of the next four night games were played in Syracuse's concrete mausoleum known as Archbold Stadium — and it rained every time. Penn State won in 1946 (9-0) and 1948 (34-14) and lost in 1950 (27-7). The other night game in that period was in 1947 and it came about because of pressure from politicians in Harrisburg.

Penn State had arranged a home-and-away series with Washington State. The first game was set for Beaver Field as the opening game of the season on Sept. 20. But after some behind-the-scene maneuvering by the politicians and influential Harrisburg alumni, the game was moved to Hershey Stadium at night and promoted as "The Chocolate Bowl."

And wouldn't you know it, there was rain again. Some 15,000 watched as Penn State won 27-6 in what would eventually become one of the school's greatest undefeated seasons, climaxing with a 13-13 tie in the Cotton Bowl.

So much for the early history of Penn State night games. The number of night games picked up and escalated for all of college football as television evolved with the spread of cable and satellites and the creation of special sports networks like trailblazer ESPN. Unlike some schools that thrive on night games — LSU comes to mind — Penn State has always been reluctant to play night games at home. That's because much of the fan base drives to State College on game day and the late night exiting on to the area's roads and highways is not convenient, expedient or necessarily safe. The Lions even played night games against Pitt at Three Rivers Stadium in 1974 and 1976, against Temple at Philadelphia's Franklin field in 1975 and at West Virginia's Mountaineer Field in 1984 before State's first game at Beaver Stadium in 1986.

Throughout the rest of the 1980s and 1990s, there were just two more night games at Beaver Stadium, 1988 against Syracuse and 1991 against BYU and both games had a historical touch. Syracuse's 24-10 victory was its last win in the rivalry series that ended in 1990 and didn't resume until this year for a two-game stretch. In 1991, the upper deck was added in the Beaver Stadium north end zone, and the crowd of 96,304 who saw Penn State hammer BYU, 33-7, set an attendance record. Three weeks earlier, the Lions had defeated Georgia Tech 34-22 at night in the Kickoff Classic at the New Jersey Meadowlands.

However, the next night game at Beaver Stadium didn't occur until 10 years later when the latest renovation and expansion brought out another record crowd (109,313) for the opening game of the 2001 season. The pre-game atmosphere was electrifying as Adam Taliaferro walked out of the team tunnel for the first time since his paralyzing injury at Ohio State almost a year earlier. Unfortunately, that was the highlight of the night as Miami proceeded to demolish the Lions, 33-7.

Since 2001, night games at home have become more frequent with at least one a year since 2005. And that number figures to continue as the Big Ten and all of college football feeds its large audience of fanatics across the nation.

Now, in selecting Penn State's Top Ten night games of all time, one has to include post-season bowl games. In 1965, the Orange Bowl switched to a night game in prime time and other bowls followed over the years as the Bowl Championship Series evolved. However, bowl games that start prior to 7 o'clock local time are not eligible. Thus, two particular games do not meet the criteria or they would be on this list — the great national championship game in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl when Penn State beat Miami, 14-10, and the wild shootout with BYU in San Diego's 1989 Holiday Bowl that the Lions won 50-39. Nor do games played in domes qualify because day or night the atmosphere inside is about the same. That eliminates the 1983 Sugar Bowl in the Superdome when Penn State won its first national championship by defeating Georgia, 27-23.

So, in chronological order, here is one writer's list of Penn State's all-time Top 10 night games:

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The significance of this game must be assessed with a historical perspective. In preseason analysis, Washington State was expected to be a West Coast power and Penn State fans were pumped up for what was technically the first "home" night game ever. The Lions fumbled away their first two possessions but built a 14-0 halftime lead and dominated with an overpowering running attack and defense that would characterize this team as it went undefeated and finished No. 4 in the country.

This was the game that turned around Joe Paterno's sputtering coaching career as he replaced veterans with sophomores early in the game and upset the Hurricanes in the rain. Bobby Campbell's zigzag 50-yard run, setting up a touchdown pass to Ted Kwalick, gave Penn State a shocking 6-0 lead at halftime and Miami never scored until recovering a fumble with 30 seconds left.

"Campbell and Kwaick turned our season around in that game," Paterno said later.

Joe Paterno said this game put Penn State "on the map" in college football. The game is best remembered for Penn State rallying from behind a 14-7 deficit in the last minute and Kansas stopping a two-point conversion attempt only to be penalized for having 12 men on the field. On the second attempt, Bobby Campbell ran into the end zone and the Nittany Lions and their fans joyously celebrated an 11-0 season that would give them their highest rating in the polls up to that time at No. 2.

This game put a cap on the two greatest back-to-back seasons in school history with another 11-0 finish and No. 2 ranking. Critics of eastern football had made Penn State a two-point underdog but the Lions' swarming defense set an Orange Bowl record of seven interceptions to overwhelm the Big 8 champions. Riled by the continued criticism of his great team, Joe Paterno said: "I'm up to my ears in polls. We have as much right as anybody else to be No. 1."

Once again, Penn State climaxed another outstanding undefeated season only to be demeaned by critics that rated the Lions No. 4 in the country, even with Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti. After coming from behind an early 6-0 deficit, the Nittany Lions almost turned the game into a rout but two first-half touchdowns were called back by officials, although television replays showed the TDs should have counted.

"I have my own poll," Paterno said after the game. "The Paterno poll. The vote was unanimous. Penn State is No. 1."

The festive atmosphere and ceremonies that marked Penn State's first official night game are more memorable than the game. Three hours before the game, both coaches and their captains made a joint appearance at a nearby pep rally, and before the opening kickoff two Green Berets parachuted on to the field to deliver the game ball and ceremonial coin for the coin toss. By the time the Lions former All-Americans were introduced in a rousing halftime ceremony that included fireworks, Penn State had an easy 24-0 lead.

This game beats out the Kickoff Classic win over Georgia Tech in the Meadowlands a few weeks earlier because it was in Beaver Stadium and coincided with the opening of the new upper deck in the north end zone. Everybody expected another shootout like the 1989 Holiday Bowl, especially with the reigning Hesiman Trophy winner, Ty Detmer, still at quarterback for BYU. Detmer complete just 8 of 25 pass attempts as the Lions sacked him six times, intercepted one pass and recovered two fumbles to smother the Cougars.

Although this game still holds the record for all-time attendance at Beaver Stadium — 110,753 — it didn't match the pregame hype, and in retrospect uncovered serious flaws in the Nebraska football program. Nebraska was No. 8 in the country and undefeated after three games, but as national television audience watched the unranked 1-0 Nittany Lions manhandled the Huskers, turning a 13-7 halftime lead into a rout with three touchdowns in the third quarter.

"Everything went our way," coach Paterno said.

Penn State went on to play on New Year's Day for the first time in four years — in the Capital One Bowl — and Nebraska would lose seven games for its worst season since 1961.

Those who were there believe this is the greatest night game ever in Beaver Stadium. It was one of those games that lived up to the pregame promotional blitz before a raucous crowd of 110,134 — second all time — that was on its feet almost the entire wet night.

The No. 6 Buckeyes were a 3-point favorite over the undefeated No. 16 Lions, but after falling behind 3-0 in the first quarter, Penn State scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and never trailed again. The game went down to the last 90 seconds. With Ohio State driving, Tamba Hali sacked future Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, forcing a fumble that Scott Paxson recovered. The victory enabled the Lions to eventually share the Big Ten Championship with OSU and finish No. 3 in the country after defeating Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

This was somewhat similar to the 2002 Nebraska game with a pregame hype that fizzled on the field and the unmasking of a weak Notre Dame with major shortcomings. The stadium was rocking with the third-highest crowd of all time — 110,078 — dressed almost completely in white when 17-point underdog Notre Dame stunned the home fans with a 73-yard interception for a touchdown midway through the first quarter. But that was the last shot for the Irish as the Lions turned a 14-7 halftime lead into a decisive victory, holding Notre Dame to 0 yards running.

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