[26], Posluszny was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week, the first time that a Big Ten player has been named in three consecutive weeks. Five plays later, Robinson lobbed a 36-yard pass to Derrick Williams who caught the ball, ducked to avoid a defender, and dashed into the end zone. It would cap a wild fourth quarter where the two teams would combine for 39 points and four lead changes. Led by Paul Posluszny who had 14 tackles and a sack in the game, the Penn State defense held the Buckeyes to only 230 total yards. It was Kelly's third attempt to win the game, after missing at the end of regulation and in the first overtime. Nickelback Donnie Johnson also had an interception to preserve a 17–0 Lions lead at the half. [1] The team's head coach was Joe Paterno. Robinson was pulled halfway through the third quarter for backup Anthony Morelli, who finished 8 of 13 for 107 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown to Ethan Kilmer.[18]. Copyright © 2000-2020 Sports Reference LLC. The offense struggled in the first half, but Robinson hooked up with Justin King for a 59-yard touchdown in the third quarter, followed by a 41-yard bomb to Derrick Williams on the next possession. Derrick Williams finished with 38 yards on three catches. Penn State defeated the Buckeyes 17–10 in front of 109,839 fans, during a student White Out,[25] at the time the second-largest Beaver Stadium crowd (topped later the same season by the home game versus Wisconsin). Record: 9-4 (23rd of 117) (Schedule & Results), Bowl Game: Lost Capital One Bowl 13-9 versus Auburn, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Sunday, November 1, 6:55AM. Posluszny was the first junior captain since 1968.[3]. That morning's ESPN's College Gameday, which broadcast from University Park for the first time since 1999, was the most-viewed edition of that program in its history.[29][30]. Alan Zemaitis scored the Lions' first touchdown of the year on a fumble recovery. [23], After recording nine tackles, Paul Posluszny was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week as well as the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week.[24]. 6-1: 179: Northwest: Germantown, MD : 2: Hannum, Josh: WR: Fr. Terrell Golden caught the third touchdown, a 47 yarder in the third quarter. After moving the ball into Penn State territory, Tamba Hali sacked Smith at midfield, forcing a fumble recovered by Scott Paxson and allowing the Nittany Lions to run out the clock. Name Position Class/Eligibility Ht./Wt. The 2005 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. Michael Robinson led a come-from-behind 34–29 win against the Wildcats, but in the first half Robinson threw three interceptions and lost a fumble to dig a deep hole for the Lions. However, the game would come down to seconds. Minnesota tailback Laurence Maroney entered the game as the nation's leader in rushing yards and all-purpose yards, rushing for at least 100 yards in the last six games, and was considered by some to be the frontrunner for the Heisman. Six seniors would go on and be drafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. The Nittany Lions were coming off of back-to-back losing seasons, finishing 3–9 in 2003 and 4–7 in 2004, capping a stretch from late 1999 where Minnesota upset the #2 Nittany Lions with a late field goal until the goal line stand at Indiana that featured four of five seasons being losing seasons and the lone winning season in 2002 featuring many frustrating close losses. The team finished the 2004 season with wins over Indiana and Michigan State, which helped springboard momentum into the 2005 season that gave many optimism for the 2005 Nittany Lions. [28], The game was ESPN's second largest audience for a regular season college football game. Michael Robinson finished 10 of 20 for 105 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 90 yards on 13 carries, including a 33-yard touchdown run, the longest rushing touchdown of his career. In these cases, the average was taken. Eight starters returned on offense, led by starting quarterback Michael Robinson who has also played at wide receiver, tailback, and punt returner during his first three years at Penn State. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Rodney Kinlaw would return a kickoff 58 yards that set up a touchdown. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Robinson's six touchdowns ties a school record set in 1917, and his career-high four touchdown passes ties an 88-year-old school record. The team returned 18 starters from last year's squad. It played its home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Austin Scott led the Penn State rushing attack, filling in for an injured Tony Hunt who left the game on the first possession. Penn State did not play Big Ten teams Indiana and Iowa this year. 2001 Big Ten Conference football standings, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2001_Penn_State_Nittany_Lions_football_team&oldid=981921591, Penn State Nittany Lions football seasons, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using CFB schedule with named parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, $ – BCS representative as conference champion, This page was last edited on 5 October 2020, at 05:10. Robinson finished 11 of 17 for 220 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Are you a Stathead, too? On senior day with the Big Ten title on the line in front of the season's second student White Out,[36] Penn State cruised to a convincing 35–14 win over the Badgers behind the strong performance of both the offense and defense. Penn State Football 2020 Roster No. Johnson's biggest play however may be a blocked punt earlier in the second quarter that was recovered by backup fullback Matt Hahn in the end zone, his first career touchdown. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The Illini scored an early field goal, but would never regain the lead. Michael Robinson finished 14 of 23 for 274 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Butler would finish with five catches for 125 yards. Do you have a blog? Penn State's receivers also posted a number of career highs. But the offense recovered in the second half and outscored the Wildcats 17–6 in the fourth quarter to escape with the win. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. The 2001 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. Penn State's backup quarterback, sophomore Anthony Morelli, made his season debut, finishing 4 of 5 passes and scoring the Lions' final touchdown on a 1-yard keeper.[17]. Michigan's final drive, fueled by a Steve Breaston kick return to midfield, started with an apparent interception that was later reviewed to be out of bounds. Capital One Bowl (Capital One Bowl (Orlando, FL)). Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. Find out more. Plus, explore all of your favorite teams' player rosters on FOXSports.com today! Justin King, who played both ways in the game, made his first contribution with a 61-yard run on a reverse. Kilmer set career highs with six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Most Recent Games and Any Score Since 1869. In the fourth quarter, Deon Butler hooked up with Robinson for a 45-yard touchdown. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno. The injury would not require surgery but needed six to eight weeks to rehabilitate. Player: Pos. [81], The team's unexpected success helped Penn State finish in the top four in football attendance for the 15th consecutive year, averaging 104,859 for seven home games. The Lions defense was also constantly in the Badgers backfield, tallying nine sacks, four by Tamba Hali who also had nine tackles. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Two of those touchdowns were to Deon Butler in the second quarter for 54 and 24 yards. More 2002 Penn State Pages. Three crowds topped 109,000: 109,865 vs. Wisconsin, 109,839 vs. Ohio State, and 109,467 vs. Purdue, ranking two through four as the largest crowds ever at Beaver Stadium. [15], Punter Jeremy Kapinos landed three punts inside the 11 and was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week.[16]. [33], For his six touchdown performance, Robinson was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. Or write about sports? Robinson also ran for 39 yards on 18 carries but was sacked three times and lost two fumbles. Anwar Phillips picked off Northwestern's Brett Basanez to seal the win. The Wolverines called timeout after a Henne pass completion with the clock stopped at :28. Ohio State, needing to score a game-tying touchdown, began their final possession on their own 11-yard line with under 4 minutes to play.