1978 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
American college football season
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
Date Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source at Temple No. 3 W 10–753,103 [ 2]
September 9 Rutgers No. 3 W 26–1077,154 [ 3]
September 16 at No. 6 Ohio State No. 5 ABC W 19–088,202 [ 4]
September 23 SMU No. 3 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA W 26–2177,704 [ 5]
September 30 TCU No. 5 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA W 58–076,832 [ 6]
October 7 at Kentucky No. 5 W 30–058,068 [ 7]
October 21 Syracuse No. 2 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry ) W 45–1577,827 [ 8]
October 28 at West Virginia No. 2 W 49–2134,010 [ 9]
November 4 No. 5 Maryland No. 2 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry ) ABC W 27–378,019 [ 10]
November 11 NC State No. 2 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA W 19–1077,043 [ 11]
No. 15 Pittsburgh No. 1 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry ) ABC W 17–1077,465 [ 12]
vs. No. 2 Alabama No. 1 ABC L 7–1476,824 [ 13]
HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
[ 14]
Game summaries
Temple
#3 Penn State at Temple
1
2 3 4 Total
• Penn St
0
0 7 3
10
Temple
0
0 0 7
7
Scoring summary Q3 :56 PSU Booker Moore 26 yard run (Matt Bahr kick)PSU 7–0
Q4 10:49 TEM Zachary Dixon 21 yard pass from Brian Broomell (Firovanti kick) Tie 7–7
Q4 :10 PSU Matt Bahr 23 yard field goal PSU 10–7
[ 15]
Ohio State
1
2 3 4 Total
• Penn St
3
0 7 9
19
Ohio St
0
0 0 0
0
Date: September 18Location: Ohio Stadium Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 2:48Game attendance: 88,202Game weather: Cloudy; 80 °F (27 °C); wind 10 mph (16 km/h) SWTelevision network: ABC
Scoring summary Q1 9:52 PSU Bahr 30 yard field goalPSU 3–0
Q3 4:52 PSU Suhey 3 yard run (Bahr kick)PSU 10–0
Q4 13:12 PSU Bahr 41 yard field goal PSU 13–0
Q4 6:45 PSU Bahr 25 yard field goal PSU 16–0
Q4 2:53 PSU Bahr 30 yard field goal PSU 19–0
[ 16]
Maryland
1
2 3 4 Total
Maryland
0
3 0 0
3
• Penn State
3
10 7 7
27
Scoring summary 1 PSU Bahr 33-yard field goal PSU 3-0
2 PSU Fusina 1-yard run (Bahr kick) PSU 10-0
2 MD Loncar 39-yard field goal PSU 10-3
2 PSU Bahr 44-yard field goal PSU 13-3
3 PSU Donovan 63-yard pass from Fusina (Bahr kick) PSU 20-3
4 PSU Moore 4-yard run (Bahr kick) PSU 27-3
[ 17] [ 18]
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.[ 19]
Roster
1978 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
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 .
References
^ Pitt Strong Again; Lions Up In Air , web: The Sacramento Bee, 1978, retrieved March 13, 2023
^ "With seconds left Penn State wins" . The Daily Times . September 2, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Nittany Lions crush outmanned Rutgers" . The Hartford Courant . September 10, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Penn State silences Ohio State's offense" . Herald and Review . September 17, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Lions regroup to nip SMU, 26–21" . The Pittsburgh Press . September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Penn State trounces TCU by 58–0 as Fusina and Moore lead charge" . The Philadelphia Inquirer . October 1, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ John A. McGill (October 8, 1978). "Lions Maul Sluggish Wildcats 30-0" . Sunday Herald-Leader . pp. C1, C7 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Fusina fires 4 TD passes in Penn State victory" . Sunday News Journal . October 22, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Penn State rallies for 49–21 win" . The Tampa Tribune . October 29, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Penn State destroys Maryland 27–3" . Sunday News . November 5, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Bahr sparks Penn State" . The Kansas City Star . November 12, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Paterno takes gamble, keeps Penn St. No. 1" . The Miami Herald . November 26, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Hard-hitting defense keys Bama victory" . Birmingham Post-Herald . January 2, 1979. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "1978 Penn State Nittany Lions Schedule and Results" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 22, 2024 .
^ "Field goal gives Penn State win." Eugene Register-Guard. 1978 Sept 2. Retrieved 2014-Jan-05.
^ "'Ready' Penn State Stuns No. 6 Bucks." Palm Beach Post. 1978 Sept 17.
^ "Penn State's Defense Smothers Terps." Palm Beach Post. 1978 Nov 5.
^ Underwood, John (November 13, 1978). "A Lionized Defense" . Sports Illustrated . p. 18.
^ Ocala Star-Banner. 1978 Oct 22.
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