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 [ edit ] Date Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source at Temple No. 3 W 10–753,103 September 9 Rutgers No. 3 W 26–1077,154 September 16 at No. 6 Ohio State No. 5 ABC W 19–088,202 September 23 SMU No. 3 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA W 26–2177,704 September 30 TCU No. 5 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA W 58–076,832 October 7 at Kentucky No. 5 W 30–058,068 [2] October 21 Syracuse No. 2 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry ) W 45–1577,827 October 28 at West Virginia No. 2 W 49–2134,010 [3] November 4 No. 5 Maryland No. 2 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry ) ABC W 27–378,019 [4] November 11 NC State No. 2 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA W 19–1077,043 [5] No. 15 Pittsburgh No. 1 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry ) ABC W 17–1077,465 vs. No. 2 Alabama No. 1 ABC L 7–1476,824 [6] HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
Game summaries [ edit ] #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
[7]
Ohio State [ edit ] 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
[8]
Maryland [ edit ] 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
[9] [10]
Syracuse [ edit ] 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]
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
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 [ edit ] Nine Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1979 NFL Draft .
References [ edit ] ^ Pitt Strong Again; Lions Up In Air , web: The Sacramento Bee, 1978, retrieved March 13, 2023 ^ John A. McGill (October 8, 1978). "Lions Maul Sluggish Wildcats 30-0" . Sunday Herald-Leader . pp. C1, C7 – 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 . ^ "Hard-hitting defense keys Bama victory" . Birmingham Post-Herald . January 2, 1979. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "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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