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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-

Team Home Summary  Coaches Games by Year Opponents Rankings Bowls Conference


Select Year:    
1881  <-- 1984 <- 1985 -> 1986 --> 2024
1985 Season Highlights
 Joe Paterno enters his 20th season as Head Coach at Penn State.
 
1985 Season
 Date   Opponent  Score   
 Sat., Sep. 7  @ Maryland  20   18   W       
 Sat., Sep. 14  vs. Temple  27   25   W       
 Sat., Sep. 21  vs. East Carolina  17   10   W       
 Sat., Sep. 28  @ Rutgers  17   10   W    @ East Rutherford, NJ   
 Sat., Oct. 12  vs. Alabama  19   17   W       
 Sat., Oct. 19  @ Syracuse  24   20   W       
 Sat., Oct. 26  vs. West Virginia  27   0   W       
 Sat., Nov. 2  vs. Boston College  16   12   W       
 Sat., Nov. 9  @ Cincinnati  31   10   W    @ Cincinnati, OH   
 Sat., Nov. 16  vs. Notre Dame  36   6   W       
 Sat., Nov. 23  @ Pittsburgh  31   0   W       
 Wed., Jan. 1   Oklahoma  10   25   L    @ Miami, FL   Orange Bowl
 
1985 Season Totals
  Record11-1
  Points Scored275
  Scoring Average22.9
  Points Allowed153
  Defense Average12.8
  Opponents Record70-63
  Conference Record0-0
  Home Record6-0
  Away Record5-0
1985 NCAA Final Rankings
 Rank   Record   Source 
3 11-1-0 AP
3 11-1-0 Coaches
3 11-1-0 UPI
2 11-1-0 USA Today/CNN
  
1985 Independent- Standings
  Season   Bowls   Conference 
 Team  W/L/T  PF  PA    W/L/T  PF  PA   Coach 
Georgia Southern 13-2460293   Erk Russell
Penn State 11-1275153Lost  10-25  Joe Paterno
Army 9-3396232Won  31-29  Jim Young
Florida State 9-3402258Won  34-23  Bobby Bowden
Akron 8-4258186   Jim Dennison
Southern Mississippi 7-4255159   Jim Carmody
Syracuse 7-5284195Lost  18-35  Dick MacPherson
West Virginia 7-3-1189158   Don Nehlen
Virginia Tech 6-5274219   Bill Dooley
Cincinnati 5-6199261   Dave Currey
James Madison 5-6163177   Joe Purzycki
Notre Dame 5-6230234   Gerry Faust
Pittsburgh 5-5-1202187   Serafino Foge Fazio
South Carolina 5-6269290   Joe Morrison
Boston College 4-8222307   Jack Bicknell, Sr.
Buffalo 4-6188206   Bill Dando
Central Florida 4-7266386   Gene McDowell
Louisiana 4-7162306   Sam Robertson
Navy 4-7253239   Gary Tranquill
Temple 4-7233223   Bruce Arians
Western Kentucky 4-7232313   Dave Roberts
Liberty 3-4-1121103   Morgan Hout
East Carolina 2-9161281   Art Baker
Louisville 2-9199429   Howard Schnellenberger
Memphis 2-7-2180243   Rey Dempsey
Rutgers 2-8-1149266   Dick Anderson
Tulane 1-10166334   Mack Brown

1985 All American Awards
 Player   Position   Class   Ht.   Wt.   Award   Team   Source 
 Coming Someday 

1985 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 first college football game was broadcast on television in 1939. The teams involved were Fordham University and Waynesburg College.