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1991 Penn State

11–⁠2, coached by Joe Paterno, finished No. 3 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Penn State in 1991, game by game: won vs. No. 8 Georgia Tech 34–22; won vs. Cincinnati 81–0; lost at USC 10–21; won vs. BYU 33–7; won vs. Boston College 28–21; won at Temple 24–7; lost at No. 2 Miami 20–26; won vs. Rutgers 37–17; won vs. West Virginia 51–6; won at Maryland 47–7; won vs. No. 12 Notre Dame 35–13; won at Pittsburgh 32–20; won vs. No. 10 Tennessee 42–17+81−11Won 34–22 vs. No. 8 Georgia Tech+12No. 8 Georgia TechWon 81–0 vs. Cincinnati+81CincinnatiLost 10–21 at USC-11USCWon 33–7 vs. BYU+26BYUWon 28–21 vs. Boston College+7Boston CollegeWon 24–7 at Temple+17TempleLost 20–26 at No. 2 Miami-6No. 2 MiamiWon 37–17 vs. Rutgers+20RutgersWon 51–6 vs. West Virginia+45West VirginiaWon 47–7 at Maryland+40MarylandWon 35–13 vs. No. 12 Notre Dame+22No. 12 Notre DameWon 32–20 at Pittsburgh+12PittsburghWon 42–17 vs. No. 10 Tennessee+25No. 10 Tennessee
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 28vs8Georgia TechW 34–⁠2249%
Sep 7vsCincinnatiW 81–⁠091%
Sep 14atUSCL 10–⁠2157%
Sep 21vsBYUW 33–⁠769%
Sep 28vsBoston CollegeW 28–⁠2187%
Oct 5atTempleW 24–⁠771%
Oct 12at2MiamiL 20–⁠2631%
Oct 19vsRutgersW 37–⁠1782%
Oct 26vsWest VirginiaW 51–⁠677%
Nov 9atMarylandW 47–⁠779%
Nov 16vs12Notre DameW 35–⁠1352%
Nov 28atPittsburghW 32–⁠2072%
Jan 1Bowls & playoffvs10TennesseeFiesta BowlW 42–⁠1756%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Tennessee 42–⁠17 in the Fiesta Bowl; No. 3 in the final AP poll.

In program history: The 9th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 139 on file).

AP poll, week by week

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

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 1991.

Record
11–⁠2
Conference
—
AP final
No. 3 peak No. 3
Points
474–⁠184
Coach
Joe Paterno
Elo
1782 +145 this season
SP+ rating
27.2 No. 6 of 104; offense No. 8, defense No. 12
SRS
22.1 No. 5 of 107 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
—
Offensive coordinator
Fran Ganter
Defensive coordinator
Jerry Sandusky
Captains
Mark D’Onofrio, Sam Gash, Keith Goganious, Al Golden, Darren Perry and Terry Smith
Offense
Pro-style
Defense
4–⁠3

Drafted in 1992

The 1992 draft
Rd 2Mark D’Onofrio LBGreen Bay Packers
Rd 2Tony Sacca QBPhoenix Cardinals
Rd 3Paul Siever OGWashington Redskins
Rd 3Keith Goganious LBBuffalo Bills