1990 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

American college football season

1990 Penn State Nittany Lions football

Eastern champion

Blockbuster Bowl, L 17–24 vs. Florida State

Conference| Independent
Ranking
Coaches| No. 10
AP| No. 11
Record| 9–3
Head coach|

* Joe Paterno (25th season)

Offensive coordinator| Fran Ganter (7th season)
Offensive scheme| Pro-style
Defensive coordinator| Jerry Sandusky (14th season)
Base defense| 4–3
Home stadium| Beaver Stadium

Seasons

<- 1989

1991 ->

1990 Major eastern college football independents records

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 11 Penn State $  | 6  | - | 0  | - | 0 |  |  | 9  | - | 3  | - | 0
Syracuse | 4  | - | 1  | - | 1 |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 2
Temple | 3  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 0
West Virginia | 2  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
Pittsburgh | 2  | - | 3  | - | 1 |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 1
Boston College | 2  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
Rutgers | 0  | - | 6  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0

* $ – Lambert Trophy Winner

Rankings from AP Poll
1990 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 14 Louisville |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 10  | - | 1  | - | 1
No. 3 Miami (FL) |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 10  | - | 2  | - | 0
No. 4 Florida State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 10  | - | 2  | - | 0
No. 6 Notre Dame |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 3  | - | 0
No. 11 Penn State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 3  | - | 0
Louisiana Tech |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 3  | - | 1
Southern Miss |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 4  | - | 0
Temple |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 0
Syracuse |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 2
Army |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Northern Illinois |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
South Carolina |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Virginia Tech |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
East Carolina |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
Southwestern Louisiana |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
Navy |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
Memphis State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 1
Boston College |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
Tulane |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
West Virginia |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
Akron |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 1
Pittsburgh |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 1
Rutgers |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Tulsa |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Cincinnati |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 10  | - | 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1990 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season.[1] The team was coached by Joe Paterno and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.

## Schedule[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Rank| Site| TV| Result| Attendance| Source

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September 8| 12:10 p.m.| Texas| No. 21|

* Beaver Stadium
* University Park, PA

| Raycom| L 13–17| 85,973|
September 15| 3:30 p.m.| at No. 6 USC| |

* Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
* Los Angeles, CA

| ABC| L 14–19| 70,594|
September 22| 1:00 p.m.| Rutgers| |

* Beaver Stadium
* University Park, PA

| | W 28–0| 85,194|
October 6| 1:00 p.m.| Temple| |

* Beaver Stadium
* University Park, PA

| | W 48–10| 85,874|
October 13| 2:30 p.m.| Syracuse| |

* Beaver Stadium
* University Park, PA (rivalry)

| CBS| W 27–21| 86,002|
October 20| 12:10 p.m.| at Boston College| |

* Alumni Stadium
* Chestnut Hill, MA

| CBS| W 40–21| 32,000|
October 27| 5:00 p.m.| at Alabama| |

* Bryant–Denny Stadium
* Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)

| ESPN| W 9–0| 70,123| [2]
November 3| 1:00 p.m.| at West Virginia| No. 24|

* Mountaineer Field
* Morgantown, WV (rivalry)

| | W 31–19| 66,461| [3]
November 10| 1:00 p.m.| Maryland| No. 21|

* Beaver Stadium
* University Park, PA (rivalry)

| | W 24–10| 83,000| [4]
November 17| 4:00 p.m.| at No. 1 Notre Dame| No. 18|

* Notre Dame Stadium
* Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)

| ESPN| W 24–21| 59,075|
November 24| 2:30 p.m.| Pittsburgh| No. 11|

* Beaver Stadium
* University Park, PA (rivalry)

| CBS| W 22–17| 85,180|
December 28| 8:00 p.m.| vs. No. 6 Florida State| No. 7|

* Joe Robbie Stadium
* Miami Gardens, FL (Blockbuster Bowl)

| Raycom| L 17–24| 75,129|

* Homecoming
* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
* All times are in Eastern time

## Game summaries[edit]

### At USC[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Penn State | 0 | 7| 0| 7 | 14
• USC | 7 | 6| 6| 0 | 19

* Date: September 15
* Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

| Scoring summary

Q1| | USC| Griffin 5 yard pass from Marinovich (Rodriguez kick)| USC 7–0
Q2| | PSU| Golden 8 yard pass from Sacca (Fayak kick)| Tie 7–7
Q2| | USC| Rodriguez 26 yard field goal| USC 10–7
Q2| | USC| Rodriguez 46 yard field goal| USC 13–7
Q3| | USC| Ervins 1 yard run (run failed)| USC 19–7
Q4| | PSU| Thompson 2 yard run (Fayak kick)| USC 19–14

See also: 1990 USC Trojans football team

### At West Virginia[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Penn State | 7 | 7| 7| 10 | 31
West Virginia | 3 | 3| 6| 7 | 19

* Date: November 3
* Location: Mountaineer Field
* Game attendance: 66,461

| Scoring summary

Q1| | PSU| Perry 30 yard interception return (Fayak kick)| PSU 7–0
Q1| | WVU| Johnson 20 yard field goal| PSU 7–3
Q2| | PSU| T. Smith 9 yard pass from Bill (Fayak kick)| PSU 14–3
Q2| | WVU| Carroll 39 yard field goal| PSU 14–6
Q3| | WVU| Ford 11 yard run (run failed)| PSU 14–12
Q3| | PSU| Bill 5 yard run (Fayak kick)| PSU 21–12
Q4| | PSU| Collins 19 yard run (Fayak kick)| PSU 28–12
Q4| | PSU| Fayak 37 yard field goal| PSU 31–12
Q4| | WVU| Statten 5 yard pass from Jones (Johnson kick)| PSU 31–19

[5]

### Notre Dame[edit]

See also: 1990 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

### Vs. Florida State (Blockbuster Bowl)[edit]

Main article: 1990 Blockbuster Bowl

See also: 1990 Florida State Seminoles football team

## Roster[edit]

1990 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster

Players  | Coaches
Offense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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WR | `8` | Terry Smith | Jr
QB | `12` | Tom Bill
FB | `27` | Gary Brown | Sr
WR | `26` | David Daniels | Sr
QB | `19` | Tony Sacca | Jr
C | `` | E. J. Sandusky | Jr
OT | `76` | Paul Siever | Jr
Defense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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LB | `38` | Mark D'Onofrio | Jr
LB | `42` | Keith Goganious | Jr
DT | `85` | Frank Giannetti | Sr
LB | `58` | Reggie Givens | So
CB | `6` | Leonard Humphries | Jr
LB | `99` | Rich McKenzie | So
S | `9` | Darren Perry | Jr
Special teams | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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Head coach

* Joe Paterno

Coordinators/assistant coaches

* * *

Legend

* (C) Team captain
* (S) Suspended
* (I) Ineligible

* Injured
* Redshirt

## NFL Draft[edit]

Six Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1991 NFL Draft.

Round | Pick | Overall | Name | Position | Team

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3rd | 19 | 74 | David Daniels | Wide receiver | Seattle Seahawks
6th | 19 | 158 | Leroy Thompson | Running back | Pittsburgh Steelers
8th | 19 | 214 | Gary Brown | Running back | Houston Oilers
10th | 13 | 263 | Frank Giannetti | Defensive end | Indianapolis Colts
10th | 14 | 264 | Sean Love | Offensive guard | Dallas Cowboys
12th | 13 | 319 | Rob Luedeke | Center | Indianapolis Colts

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Penn State Yearly Results (1990-1994)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on August 5, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
2. ^ "Alabama shut out by Penn State 9–0". Sunday News. October 28, 1990. Retrieved February 20, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ "Bill pulls Penn State past West Virginia". The Courier-Post. November 4, 1990. Retrieved February 2, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Confidence in Sacca pays for Lions, 24–10". The Pittsburgh Press. November 11, 1990. Retrieved February 3, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ Gainesville Sun. 1990 Nov 4. Retrieved 2018-Dec-15.

* v
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* e

Penn State Nittany Lions football

Venues|

* Old Main lawn (until 1891)
* Beaver Field (1892–1908)
* New Beaver Field (1909–1959)
* Beaver Stadium (1960–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Alabama
* Maryland
* Michigan
* Michigan State
* Ohio State
* Old Ironsides
* Pittsburgh
* Syracuse
* West Virginia

Culture & lore|

* Nittany Lion
* "Fight On, State"
* Penn State Blue Band
* Uplifting Athletes
* Joe Paterno statue
* Something for Joey
* 1982 Nebraska game
* Child sex abuse scandal
* 2016 Ohio State game
* Paterno
* White Out
* 2021 Illinois game

People|

* Head coaches
* All-Americans
* Statistical leaders
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1881
* 1882–1886
* 1887
* 1888
* 1889
* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
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* 1903
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* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
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* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
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* 1921
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* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
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* 1931
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* 1933
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* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
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* 1948
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* 1951
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* 1955
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* 1957
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National championship seasons in bold

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*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number