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1978 Penn State

11–⁠1, coached by Joe Paterno, finished No. 4 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Penn State in 1978, game by game: won at Temple 10–7; won vs. Rutgers 26–10; won at No. 6 Ohio State 19–0; won vs. SMU 26–21; won vs. TCU 58–0; won at Kentucky 30–0; won vs. Syracuse 45–15; won at West Virginia 49–21; won vs. No. 5 Maryland 27–3; won vs. NC State 19–10; won vs. No. 15 Pittsburgh 17–10; lost vs. No. 2 Alabama 7–14+58−7Won 10–7 at Temple+3TempleWon 26–10 vs. Rutgers+16RutgersWon 19–0 at No. 6 Ohio State+19No. 6 Ohio StateWon 26–21 vs. SMU+5SMUWon 58–0 vs. TCU+58TCUWon 30–0 at Kentucky+30KentuckyWon 45–15 vs. Syracuse+30SyracuseWon 49–21 at West Virginia+28West VirginiaWon 27–3 vs. No. 5 Maryland+24No. 5 MarylandWon 19–10 vs. NC State+9NC StateWon 17–10 vs. No. 15 Pittsburgh+7No. 15 PittsburghLost 7–14 vs. No. 2 Alabama-7No. 2 Alabama
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1atTempleW 10–⁠766%
Sep 9vsRutgersW 26–⁠1074%
Sep 16at6Ohio StateW 19–⁠049%
Sep 23vsSMUW 26–⁠2183%
Sep 30vsTCUW 58–⁠092%
Oct 7atKentuckyW 30–⁠056%
Oct 21vsSyracuseW 45–⁠1590%
Oct 28atWest VirginiaW 49–⁠2187%
Nov 4vs5MarylandW 27–⁠366%
Nov 11vsNC StateW 19–⁠1081%
Nov 24vs15PittsburghW 17–⁠1072%
Jan 1Bowls & playoffvs2AlabamaSugar BowlL 7–⁠1453%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Alabama 14–⁠7 in the Sugar Bowl; No. 4 in the final AP poll.

In program history: The 7th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 139 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 1: 3
  2. Wk 2: 5
  3. Wk 3: 3
  4. Wk 4: 5
  5. Wk 5: 5
  6. Wk 6: 3
  7. Wk 7: 2
  8. Wk 8: 2
  9. Wk 9: 2
  10. Wk 10: 2
  11. Wk 11: 1
  12. Wk 12: 1
  13. Wk 13: 1
  14. Wk 14: 1
  15. Final: 4

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 1978.

Heisman voteChuck Fusina, second

Maxwell AwardChuck Fusina, QB

Lombardi AwardBruce Clark, DT

3 consensus All-AmericansKeith Dorney, OT; Chuck Fusina, QB; Bruce Clark, DT

Eddie Robinson Coach of the YearJoe Paterno, coach

Record
11–⁠1
Conference
—
AP final
No. 4 peak No. 1
Points
333–⁠111
Coach
Joe Paterno
Elo
1791 +125 this season
SP+ rating
27.7 No. 5 of 133; offense No. 12, defense No. 3
SRS
22.9 No. 8 of 138 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
—
Defensive coordinator
Jerry Sandusky
Captains
Chuck Fusina and Matt Suhey
Offense
I formation
Defense
4–⁠3

Drafted in 1979

The 1979 draft
Rd 1Keith Dorney OTDetroit Lions
Rd 4Eric Cunningham OGNew York Jets
Rd 5Scott Fitzkee WRPhiladelphia Eagles
Rd 5Chuck Fusina QBTampa Bay Buccaneers
Rd 6Bob Torrey RBNew York Giants
Rd 6Matt Bahr KPittsburgh Steelers
Rd 7Rich Milot LBWashington Redskins