1971 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
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| 1971 Penn State Nittany Lions football | |
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Cotton Bowl Classic, W 30-6 vs. Texas
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| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | #11 |
| AP | #5 |
| 1971 record | 11–1 |
| Head coach | Joe Paterno (6th year) |
| Captain | Dave Joyner |
| Captain | Charlie Zapiec |
| Home stadium | Beaver Stadium (Capacity: 48,284) |
The 1971 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 1971 college football season.[1] The team was coached by Joe Paterno and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 18 | at Navy | #14 | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | W 56–3 | 26,855 | ||||
| September 25 | at Iowa | #12 | Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA | ABC | W 44–14 | 44,303 | |||
| October 2 | Air Force | #9 | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | W 16–14 | 50,459 | ||||
| October 9 | Army | #9 | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | W 42–0 | 49,887 | ||||
| October 16 | at Syracuse | #9 | Archbold Stadium • Syracuse, NY (Rivalry) | W 31–0 | 41,382 | ||||
| October 23 | TCU |
#7 | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | W 66–14 | 51,896 | ||||
| October 30 | at West Virginia | #6 | Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (Rivalry) | W 35–7 | 37,000 | ||||
| November 6 | Maryland | #6 | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (Rivalry) | W 63–27 | 50,144 | ||||
| November 13 | North Carolina State | #5 | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | W 35–3 | 50,477 | ||||
| November 20 | at Pittsburgh | #6 | Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Rivalry) | W 55–18 | 39,539 | ||||
| December 4 | at #12 Tennessee | #5 | Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN | ABC | L 11–31 | 59,542 | |||
| January 1, 1972 | vs. #12 Texas | #10 | Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic) | CBS | W 30–6 | 72,000 | |||
| *Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |
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Game summaries
Air Force
Alberto Vitiello, a 5'7" junior college transfer, kicked a 22-yard field goal with four minutes to help Penn State escape with a 16–14 victory over Air Force.
NFL Draft
Four Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1972 NFL Draft.
| Round | Pick | Overall | Name | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 13 | 13 | Franco Harris | Running back | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2nd | 22 | 48 | Lydell Mitchell | Running back | Baltimore Colts |
| 4th | 15 | 93 | Charles Zapiec | – | Dallas Cowboys |
| 5th | 13 | 117 | Bob Parsons | Punter | Chicago Bears |
