American college football season
1981 Penn State Nittany Lions football |
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National champion (Dunkel) Eastern champion Fiesta Bowl champion |
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Fiesta Bowl, W 26–10 vs. USC |
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Conference | Independent |
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Ranking |
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Coaches | No. 3 |
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AP | No. 3 |
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Record | 10–2 |
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Head coach | - Joe Paterno (16th season)
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Offensive coordinator | Dick Anderson (1st season) |
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Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
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Defensive coordinator | Jerry Sandusky (5th season) |
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Base defense | 4–3 |
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Home stadium | Beaver Stadium |
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Seasons |
1981 Major eastern college football independents records | Conf | | | Overall |
Team | W | | L | | T | | | W | | L | | T |
No. 3 Penn State $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | | | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 |
No. 4 Pittsburgh | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | | | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 |
No. 17 West Virginia | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | | | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 |
Temple | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | | | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 |
Syracuse | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | | | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 |
Boston College | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | | | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 |
Rutgers | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | | | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 |
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- $ – Lambert Trophy Winner
Rankings from AP Poll |
The 1981 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season.[1] The team was selected national champion by Dunkel, an NCAA-designated major selector,[2] while Clemson, who finished the season 12–0, was the consensus national champion.
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 12 | 1:30 p.m. | Cincinnati | No. 9 | | ESPN (tape delay) | W 52–0 | 84,342 | |
September 26 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 15 Nebraska | No. 3 | | ESPN (tape delay) | W 30–24 | 76,308 | |
October 3 | 1:30 p.m. | Temple | No. 2 | - Beaver Stadium
- University Park, PA
| | W 30–0 | 84,562 | |
October 10 | 1:30 p.m. | Boston College | No. 2 | - Beaver Stadium
- University Park, PA
| ESPN (tape delay) | W 38–7 | 84,473 | |
October 17 | 1:30 p.m. | at Syracuse | No. 2 | | | W 41–16 | 50,037 | |
October 24 | 1:30 p.m. | West Virginia | No. 1 | - Beaver Stadium
- University Park, PA (rivalry)
| ESPN (tape delay) | W 30–7 | 85,012 | [3] |
October 31 | 4:00 p.m. | at Miami (FL) | No. 1 | | ABC | L 14–17 | 32,117 | |
November 7 | 1:00 p.m. | at NC State | No. 6 | | | W 22–15 | 48,800 | [4] |
November 14 | 12:20 p.m. | No. 6 Alabama | No. 5 | - Beaver Stadium
- University Park, PA (rivalry)
| ABC regional | L 16–31 | 85,133 | [5] |
November 21 | 1:00 p.m. | Notre Dame | No. 13 | - Beaver Stadium
- University Park, PA (rivalry)
| ESPN (tape delay) | W 24–21 | 84,175 | |
November 28 | 12:25 p.m. | at No. 1 Pittsburgh | No. 11 | | ABC | W 48–14 | 60,260 | |
January 1, 1982 | 1:30 p.m. | vs. No. 8 USC | No. 7 | | NBC | W 26–10 | 71,053 | |
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Roster
1981 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 |
Game summaries
At Nebraska
Penn State at #15 Nebraska | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | • #3 Penn State | 3 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 30 | #15 Nebraska | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 | |
Boston College
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | Boston College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | • Penn St | 10 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 38 | |
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Scoring summary |
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| Q1 | | PSU | Warner 7 yard run (Franco kick) | PSU 7–0 | | Q1 | | PSU | Franco 33 yard field goal | PSU 10–0 | | Q2 | | PSU | Meade 1 yard run (Franco kick) | PSU 17–0 | | Q2 | | PSU | Jackson 39 yard pass from Blackledge (Franco kick) | PSU 24–0 | | Q3 | | PSU | Warner 1 yard run (Franco kick) | PSU 31–0 | | Q4 | | PSU | Williams 36 yard run (Franco kick) | PSU 38–0 | | Q4 | | BC | Nizolek 23 yard pass from Flutie (Cooper kick) | PSU 38–7 | |
[6]
Notre Dame
Notre Dame at #13 Penn St | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | Notre Dame | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 | • Penn St | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 24 | - Source: Eugene Register-Guard
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Scoring summary |
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| 1 | | PSU | Williams 4-yard run (Franco kick) | PSU 7–0 | | 1 | | ND | Carter 1-yard run (Oliver kick) | Tied 7–7 | | 1 | | PSU | Blackledge 1-yard run (Franco kick) | PSU 14–7 | | 2 | | PSU | Franco 27-yard field goal | PSU 17–7 | | 2 | | ND | Hunter 17-yard pass from Kiel (Oliver kick) | PSU 17–14 | | 3 | | ND | Sweeney 4-yard pass from Kiel (Oliver kick) | ND 21–17 | | 4 | 3:48 | PSU | Blackledge 1-yard run (Franco kick) | PSU 24–21 | |
Following the game, Penn State accepted an invitation to the Fiesta Bowl.
Pittsburgh
#11 Penn St at #1 Pittsburgh | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | • Penn St | 0 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 48 | Pittsburgh | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
The Nittany Lions snapped the Panthers' 17-game winning streak in convincing fashion.[7]
Vs. USC (Fiesta Bowl)
#7 Penn State vs. #8 USC | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | • No. 7 Nittany Lions | 7 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 26 | No. 8 Trojans | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | |
NFL Draft
Ten Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1982 NFL draft.
Awards
- Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award
References
- ^ "Penn State Yearly Results (1980-1984)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on August 5, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
- ^ 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. p. 114. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
- ^ "Warner substitute leads Penn State past W. Va". Sunday News Journal. October 25, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lions stave off Wolfpack". The Tampa Tribune. November 8, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Penn State falls to Alabama, 31–16". Sunday News. November 15, 1981. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Eugene-Register Guard. 1981 Oct 11.
- ^ John Feinstein (November 29, 1981). "Penn State Stuns No. 1 Pitt. 48-14. Bryant Wins No. 315". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
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National championship seasons in bold |