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1978 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Sugar Bowl, L 7–14 vs. Alabama
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
APNo. 4
Record11–1
Head coach
Offensive scheme I formation
Defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky (2nd season)
Base defense 4–3
Captains
Home stadium Beaver Stadium
Seasons
←  1977
1979 →
1978 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Penn State   –   –   11 – 1 – 0
North Texas State   –   –   9 – 2 – 0
East Carolina   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
Navy   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
No. 7 Notre Dame   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
Rutgers   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
Florida State   –   –   8 – 3 – 0
Tennessee State   –   –   8 – 3 – 0
Temple   –   –   7 – 3 – 1
Pittsburgh   –   –   8 – 4 – 0
Holy Cross   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
Louisville   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
UNLV   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
Southern Miss   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
Northeast Louisiana   –   –   6 – 4 – 1
Georgia Tech   –   –   7 – 5 – 0
Hawaii   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Miami (FL)   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
South Carolina   –   –   5 – 5 – 1
William & Mary   –   –   5 – 5 – 1
Cincinnati   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Villanova   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Army   –   –   4 – 6 – 1
Memphis State   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Tulane   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Virginia Tech   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Air Force   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Colgate   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Richmond   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Syracuse   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Illinois State   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
West Virginia   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
Boston College   –   –   0 – 11 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1978 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Joe Paterno and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.

The team was not seen as a favorite in the pre-season to win the national championship. [1]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 1at TempleNo. 3
W 10–753,103
September 9 RutgersNo. 3
W 26–1077,154
September 16at No. 6 Ohio StateNo. 5
 ABCW 19–088,202
September 23 SMUNo. 3
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
W 26–2177,704
September 30 TCUNo. 5
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
W 58–076,832
October 7at KentuckyNo. 5
W 30–058,068 [2]
October 21 SyracusedaggerNo. 2
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA ( rivalry)
W 45–1577,827
October 28at West VirginiaNo. 2
W 49–2134,010 [3]
November 4No. 5 MarylandNo. 2
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA ( rivalry)
ABCW 27–378,019 [4]
November 11 NC StateNo. 2
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
W 19–1077,043 [5]
November 24No. 15 PittsburghNo. 1
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA ( rivalry)
ABCW 17–1077,465
January 1, 1979vs. No. 2 AlabamaNo. 1
ABCL 7–1476,824 [6]
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

Temple

#3 Penn State at Temple
1 234Total
• Penn St 0 073 10
Temple 0 007 7
Scoring summary
Q3:56PSU Booker Moore 26 yard run ( Matt Bahr kick)PSU 7–0
Q410:49TEMZachary Dixon 21 yard pass from Brian Broomell (Firovanti kick)Tie 7–7
Q4:10PSUMatt Bahr 23 yard field goalPSU 10–7

[7]

Ohio State

1 234Total
• Penn St 3 079 19
Ohio St 0 000 0
  • Date: September 18
  • Location: Ohio Stadium
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 2:48
  • Game attendance: 88,202
  • Game weather: Cloudy; 80 °F (27 °C); wind 10 mph (16 km/h) SW
  • Television network: ABC
Scoring summary
Q19:52PSU Bahr 30 yard field goalPSU 3–0
Q34:52PSU Suhey 3 yard run (Bahr kick)PSU 10–0
Q413:12PSUBahr 41 yard field goalPSU 13–0
Q46:45PSUBahr 25 yard field goalPSU 16–0
Q42:53PSUBahr 30 yard field goalPSU 19–0

[8]

Maryland

1 234Total
Maryland 0 300 3
• Penn State 3 1077 27
Scoring summary
1PSUBahr 33-yard field goalPSU 3-0
2PSUFusina 1-yard run (Bahr kick)PSU 10-0
2MDLoncar 39-yard field goalPSU 10-3
2PSUBahr 44-yard field goalPSU 13-3
3PSUDonovan 63-yard pass from Fusina (Bahr kick)PSU 20-3
4PSUMoore 4-yard run (Bahr kick)PSU 27-3

[9] [10]

Syracuse

Chuck Fusina threw four touchdown passes, including two to Scott Fitzkee as second-ranked Penn State extended its win streak to 15 games. Fusina finished 15 of 27 for 293 yards. [11]

Roster

1978 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
G 68 Eric Cunningham Sr
WR 19 Tom Donovan Jr
OT 73 Bernie Shalvey Sr
OT 71 Keith Dorney Sr
WR 46 Scott Fitzkee Sr
QB 14 Chuck Fusina Sr
RB 24 Mike Guman Jr
TE 85 Vyto Kab Fr
RB 38 Mike Meade Fr
OT 70 Irv Pankey Jr
RB 32 Matt Suhey Jr
FB 39 Bob Torrey Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 30 Matt Bradley Fr
DB 25 Tom Bradley Sr
DE 54 Bruce Clark Jr
DE 74 Larry Kubin So
DT 57 Pete Kugler So
LB 56 Lance Mehl Jr
LB 60 Matt Millen Jr
LB 94 Chet Parlavecchio Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 10 Matt Bahr Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster

Awards

A football signed by the 1978 Penn State Nittany Lions football team, including Chuck Fusina, Matt Millen, and head coach Joe Paterno.
Lombardi Award
Maxwell Award
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year

NFL Draft

Nine Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1979 NFL Draft.

Round Pick Overall Name Position Team
1st 10 10 Keith Dorney Offensive tackle Detroit Lions
4th 14 96 Eric Cunningham Offensive guard New York Jets
5th 16 126 Scott Fitzkee Wide receiver Philadelphia Eagles
5th 23 133 Chuck Fusina Quarterback Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6th 8 145 Bob Torrey Running back New York Giants
6th 28 165 Matt Bahr Kicker Pittsburgh Steelers
7th 17 182 Rich Milot Linebacker Washington Redskins
8th 4 196 Chuck Correal Center Philadelphia Eagles
10th 6 265 Tony Petruccio Defensive linemen San Diego Chargers

References

  1. ^ Pitt Strong Again; Lions Up In Air, web: The Sacramento Bee, 1978, retrieved March 13, 2023
  2. ^ John A. McGill (October 8, 1978). "Lions Maul Sluggish Wildcats 30-0". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. C1, C7 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Penn State rallies for 49–21 win". The Tampa Tribune. October 29, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Penn State destroys Maryland 27–3". Sunday News. November 5, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Bahr sparks Penn State". The Kansas City Star. November 12, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Hard-hitting defense keys Bama victory". Birmingham Post-Herald. January 2, 1979. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Field goal gives Penn State win." Eugene Register-Guard. 1978 Sept 2. Retrieved 2014-Jan-05.
  8. ^ "'Ready' Penn State Stuns No. 6 Bucks." Palm Beach Post. 1978 Sept 17.
  9. ^ "Penn State's Defense Smothers Terps." Palm Beach Post. 1978 Nov 5.
  10. ^ Underwood, John (November 13, 1978). "A Lionized Defense". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  11. ^ Ocala Star-Banner. 1978 Oct 22.
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