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Penn State Football Team History

Penn State Nittany Lions

The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA
Founded: 1855
Stadium: Beaver Stadium
Capacity: 106,537
Colors: Blue & White
Coach: Joe Paterno
Conference: Independent-

Select Year:

1881 <-- 1978 <- 1979 -> 1980 --> 2024

1979 Season Highlights

Joe Paterno enters his 14th season as Head Coach at Penn State.

1979 Season

Date	Opponent	Score
Sat., Sep. 15	vs. Rutgers	45	10	W
Sat., Sep. 22	vs. Texas A&M	14	27	L
Sat., Sep. 29	@ Nebraska	17	42	L
Sat., Oct. 6	@ Maryland	27	7	W
Sat., Oct. 13	vs. Army	24	3	W
Sat., Oct. 20	@ Syracuse	35	7	W	@ East Rutherford, NJ
Sat., Oct. 27	vs. West Virginia	31	6	W
Sat., Nov. 3	vs. Miami (Florida)	10	26	L
Sat., Nov. 10	@ North Carolina State	9	7	W
Sat., Nov. 17	vs. Temple	22	7	W
Sat., Nov. 24	@ Pittsburgh	14	29	L
Sat., Dec. 22	Tulane	9	6	W	@ Memphis, TN	Liberty Bowl

1979 Season Totals
Record	8-4
Points Scored	257
Scoring Average	21.4
Points Allowed	177
Defense Average	14.8
Opponents Record	82-43
Conference Record	0-0
Home Record	4-2
Away Record	3-2

1979 NCAA Final Rankings
Rank	Record	Source
20	8-4-0	AP
18	8-4-0	Coaches
18	8-4-0	UPI

1979 Independent- Standings
	Season			Bowls	Conference
Team	W/L/T	PF	PA		W/L/T	PF	PA	Coach
Louisiana Monroe	3-8	158	211					John David Crow
Florida State	11-1	326	160	Lost 7-24				Bobby Bowden
Pittsburgh	11-1	291	116	Won 16-10				Jackie Sherrill
Temple	10-2	399	198	Won 28-17				Wayne Hardin
Nevada Las Vegas	9-1-2	370	300					Tony Knap
Tulane	9-3	318	179	Lost 6-9				Larry Smith
Liberty	8-2-1	322	176					Tom Dowling
Penn State	8-4	257	177	Won 9-6				Joe Paterno
Rutgers	8-3	243	174					Frank R. Burns
South Carolina	8-4	246	205	Lost 14-24				Jim Carlen
East Carolina	7-3-1	380	193					Pat Dye
Navy	7-4	180	154					George Welsh
Notre Dame	7-4	243	197					Dan Devine
Syracuse	7-5	324	293	Won 31-7				Frank Maloney
Akron	6-5	232	223					Jim Dennison
Central Florida	6-2	104	96					Don Jonas
Southern Mississippi	6-4-1	228	146					Bobby Collins
Boston College	5-6	215	215					Ed Chlebek
Memphis	5-6	166	223					Richard Williamson
North Texas	5-6	182	235					Jerry Moore
Virginia Tech	5-6	224	222					Bill Dooley
West Virginia	5-6	185	279					Frank Cignetti
Buffalo	4-5	117	177					Bill Dando
James Madison	4-6	135	206					Challace McMillin
Louisville	4-6-1	167	202					Vince Gibson
Air Force	2-9	127	253					Ken Hatfield
Army	2-8-1	96	308					Louis H. Lou Saban
Cincinnati	2-9	156	281					Ralph Staub

1979 All American Awards
Player	Position	Class	Ht.	Wt.	Award	Team	Source
Coming Someday

1979 All Independent Conference Players
Player	Position	Class	Ht.	Wt.	Team	Source
Coming Someday

Some records may be incomplete.

Great Moments in College Football History

The forward pass first appeared in college football in 1906. It was introduced in an attempt to increase scoring and reduce injuries.