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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  <-- 1979 <- 1980 -> 1981 --> 2024
1980 Season Highlights
 Joe Paterno enters his 15th season as Head Coach at Penn State.
 
1980 Season
 Date   Opponent  Score   
 Sat., Sep. 6  vs. Colgate  54   10   W       
 Sat., Sep. 20  @ Texas A&M  25   9   W       
 Sat., Sep. 27  vs. Nebraska  7   21   L       
 Sat., Oct. 4  @ Missouri  29   21   W       
 Sat., Oct. 11  @ Maryland  24   10   W       
 Sat., Oct. 18  vs. Syracuse  24   7   W       
 Sat., Oct. 25  @ West Virginia  20   15   W       
 Sat., Nov. 1  vs. Miami (Florida)  27   12   W       
 Sat., Nov. 8  vs. North Carolina State  21   13   W       
 Sat., Nov. 15  @ Temple  50   7   W       
 Sat., Nov. 22  vs. Pittsburgh  9   14   L       
 Fri., Dec. 26   Ohio State  31   19   W    @ Tempe, AZ   Fiesta Bowl
 
1980 Season Totals
  Record10-2
  Points Scored321
  Scoring Average26.8
  Points Allowed158
  Defense Average13.2
  Opponents Record71-45
  Conference Record0-0
  Home Record4-2
  Away Record5-0
1980 NCAA Final Rankings
 Rank   Record   Source 
8 10-2-0 AP
8 10-2-0 Coaches
8 10-2-0 UPI
  
1980 Independent- Standings
  Season   Bowls   Conference 
 Team  W/L/T  PF  PA    W/L/T  PF  PA   Coach 
Louisiana Monroe 7-4296267   John David Crow
Pittsburgh 11-1380130Won  37-9  Jackie Sherrill
Florida State 10-2369103Lost  17-18  Bobby Bowden
Penn State 10-2321158Won  31-19  Joe Paterno
Notre Dame 9-2-1248128Lost  10-17  Dan Devine
Southern Mississippi 9-3290183Won  16-14  Bobby Collins
Navy 8-4226146Lost  0-35  George Welsh
South Carolina 8-4348200Lost  9-37  Jim Carlen
Virginia Tech 8-4249129Lost  10-20  Bill Dooley
Boston College 7-4199186   Ed Chlebek
Liberty 7-3272180   Tom Dowling
Nevada Las Vegas 7-4384257   Tony Knap
Rutgers 7-4279156   Frank R. Burns
Tulane 7-5279243Lost  15-34  Vince Gibson
North Texas 6-5265252   Jerry Moore
West Virginia 6-6305289   Don Nehlen
Buffalo 5-6132247   Bill Dando
Louisville 5-6162203   Bob Weber
Syracuse 5-6207222   Frank Maloney
East Carolina 4-7192312   Ed Emory
James Madison 4-6148207   Challace McMillin
Temple 4-7170262   Wayne Hardin
Akron 3-7-1134183   Jim Dennison
Army 3-7-1204295   Ed Cavanaugh
Central Florida 3-5-1156175   Don Jonas
Cincinnati 2-9122271   Ralph Staub
Memphis 2-9115255   Richard Williamson

1980 All American Awards
 Player   Position   Class   Ht.   Wt.   Award   Team   Source 
 Coming Someday 

1980 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 biggest crowd for a college football game was 114,000 for the 1926 Army-Navy Game. The game ended in a tie when it became too dark to play.