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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  <-- 1970 <- 1971 -> 1972 --> 2024
1971 Season Highlights
 Joe Paterno enters his 6th season as Head Coach at Penn State.
 
1971 Season
 Date   Opponent  Score   
 Sat., Sep. 18  @ Navy  56   3   W       
 Sat., Sep. 25  @ Iowa  44   14   W       
 Sat., Oct. 2  vs. Air Force  16   14   W       
 Sat., Oct. 9  vs. Army  42   0   W       
 Sat., Oct. 16  @ Syracuse  31   0   W       
 Sat., Oct. 23  vs. Texas Christian  66   14   W       
 Sat., Oct. 30  @ West Virginia  35   7   W       
 Sat., Nov. 6  vs. Maryland  63   27   W       
 Sat., Nov. 13  vs. North Carolina State  35   3   W       
 Sat., Nov. 20  @ Pittsburgh  55   18   W       
 Sat., Dec. 4  @ Tennessee  11   31   L       
 Sat., Jan. 1   Texas  30   6   W    @ Dallas, TX   Cotton Bowl
 
1971 Season Totals
  Record11-1
  Points Scored484
  Scoring Average40.3
  Points Allowed137
  Defense Average11.4
  Opponents Record60-69
  Conference Record0-0
  Home Record5-0
  Away Record5-1
1971 NCAA Final Rankings
 Rank   Record   Source 
5 11-1-0 AP
11 10-1-0 Coaches
11 10-1-0 UPI
  
1971 Independent- Standings
  Season   Bowls   Conference 
 Team  W/L/T  PF  PA    W/L/T  PF  PA   Coach 
Louisiana Monroe 4-6-1122208   Dixie B. White
Penn State 11-1484137Won  30-6  Joe Paterno
Boston College 9-2259117   Joseph Joe Yukica
Houston 9-3339199Lost  17-29  Bill Yeoman
Florida State 8-4309174Lost  38-45  Larry Jones
Notre Dame 8-222586   Ara R. Parseghian
Utah State 8-3243183   Chuck Mills
Cincinnati 7-4225188   Ray Callahan
Eastern Michigan 7-1-222885   Dan Boisture
West Virginia 7-4280220   Bobby Bowden
Air Force 6-4187187   Ben Martin
Army 6-4146206   Tom Cahill
Georgia Tech 6-6207207Lost  18-41  Bud Carson
Southern Mississippi 6-5202192   P.W. Bear Underwood
Temple 6-2-1248136   Wayne Hardin
Central Michigan 5-5183181   Roy Kramer
Nevada 5-5181165   Jerry Scattine
Nevada Las Vegas 5-4-1257171   Bill Ireland
Northern Illinois 5-5-1202232   Jerry Ippoliti
Syracuse 5-5-1197179   Floyd B. Ben Schwartzwalder
Ball State 4-5-1136155   Dave McClain
Miami 4-7174221   Fran Curci
Virginia Tech 4-7249272   Charlie Coffey
Navy 3-8146331   Richard Rick Forzano
Pittsburgh 3-8216388   Carl A. DePasqua
Tulane 3-8152215   Bennie Ellender
Marshall 2-857299   Jack Lengyel

1971 All American Awards
 Player   Position   Class   Ht.   Wt.   Award   Team   Source 
 Coming Someday 

1971 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.