Your least favorite Penn State football team?
- Thread starter Nitt1300
- Start date
2004, easy. I knew that the wheels were already off the bus after the Boston College game. We had nothing on a nationally televised Saturday night game.
I'd tend to agree with 2003 and 04 because they made you NOT want to watch a game on a Saturday. At least the 04 team started to wake up at the end of the season.
I'll throw out one that bothered me as a youngster -- 1992. Started the season 5-0 and had Miami coming into Beaver Stadium for a big tilt. Then everything changed -- the rock music started between every snap and the cheerleader's microphone got a lot louder and Sacca threw that terrible whateverthatwas that got pick-6'd and the team death spiraled from there, complete with a no-show in the Blockbuster Bowl against Bill Walsh and Stanford. But at least they destroyed Pitt that year.
I'll throw out one that bothered me as a youngster -- 1992. Started the season 5-0 and had Miami coming into Beaver Stadium for a big tilt. Then everything changed -- the rock music started between every snap and the cheerleader's microphone got a lot louder and Sacca threw that terrible whateverthatwas that got pick-6'd and the team death spiraled from there, complete with a no-show in the Blockbuster Bowl against Bill Walsh and Stanford. But at least they destroyed Pitt that year.
Opened up by blasting Arizona. I was in the Orange Bowl for the come-from-behind win over Miami. Beat Ohio State. Died like dogs down the stretch losing the last three, came back with a shutout win vs aTm.
It felt like we should have been a lot better than 10-3. But looking at the offensive talent, we were kinda limited. We scored a lot more than we should have. The defense was very good - except when we needed a big play in November.
Yea its pretty much anything 2000-04 sans '02. JMO.
C’mon guys this is a no-brainer- the 0-2-1 team of 1888 as the only winless team in history. 😃 Seriously if I’m not allowed to list 2020 because of COVID then I’ll go with 2000. Despite the upset of Purdue, think about getting upset by Toledo, destroyed by USC, Michigan and Ohio State, 2OT loss to Iowa and Lord help me a 12-0 shutout to SPitt. I just threw up in my mouth typing that last part- talk about a train wreck season.
I will submit the 1984 team since that was my senior year. Strang and Shaffer combined for 6 passing TDs and 17 INTs for the 6-5 season. They got crushed by ND and lost by 20 to Pitt for my last game as a student. Who knew they would only lose one game the next two seasons and win their second NC?!
1979. Incredible roster. Coming off a 11-1 season. Hopes for Natty. Went 8-4. Barely beat Tulane in Liberty Bowl.
Look at the roster......amazing!
PlayerClassPosSummaryDayle Tate*QB92 Cmp, 176 Att, 1179 Yds, 8 TD
Jeff HostetlerQB6 Cmp, 17 Att, 72 Yds, 0 TD
Frank RoccoQB4 Cmp, 12 Att, 54 Yds, 0 TD
Matt Suhey*RB185 Att, 973 Yds, 5.3 Avg
BookerMoore*RB131 Att, 555 Yds, 4.2 Avg
Curt WarnerRB84 Att, 391 Yds, 4.7 Avg
Mike GumanRB50 Att, 178 Yds, 3.6 Avd
Mike MeadeRB29 Att, 121 Yds, 4.2 AvgLeo McClellandRB18 Att, 91 Yds, 5.1
Donovan*WR21 Rec, 254 Yds, 12.1 AvgScott Hettinger*WR4 Rec, 79 Yds, 19.8 AvgTracy HallWR5 Rec, 78 Yds, 15.6 AvgRon LaPointeWR5 Rec, 90 Yds, 18.0 AvgTom WiseWR
Brad Scovill*TE26 Rec, 331 Yds, 12.7 Avg
Mike McCloskeyTE4 Rec, 93 Yds,
OL Sean Farrell*OLBob Jagers*
OLMike Munchak*OLIrv Pankey*OLJim RomanoOL
Bruce Clark*DLGreg Jones*
DLLarry Kubin*
DLMatt Millen*
DLPete Kugler
DL Leo WisniewskiDLSteve Griffiths*LBLance Mehl*LBRick DonaldsonLBMatt Bradley*DBGuiseppe Harris*DBKarl McCoy*DBMicky Urquhart*DBGrover EdwardsDBRalph GiacomarroP
Look at the roster......amazing!
PlayerClassPosSummaryDayle Tate*QB92 Cmp, 176 Att, 1179 Yds, 8 TD
Jeff HostetlerQB6 Cmp, 17 Att, 72 Yds, 0 TD
Frank RoccoQB4 Cmp, 12 Att, 54 Yds, 0 TD
Matt Suhey*RB185 Att, 973 Yds, 5.3 Avg
BookerMoore*RB131 Att, 555 Yds, 4.2 Avg
Curt WarnerRB84 Att, 391 Yds, 4.7 Avg
Mike GumanRB50 Att, 178 Yds, 3.6 Avd
Mike MeadeRB29 Att, 121 Yds, 4.2 AvgLeo McClellandRB18 Att, 91 Yds, 5.1
Donovan*WR21 Rec, 254 Yds, 12.1 AvgScott Hettinger*WR4 Rec, 79 Yds, 19.8 AvgTracy HallWR5 Rec, 78 Yds, 15.6 AvgRon LaPointeWR5 Rec, 90 Yds, 18.0 AvgTom WiseWR
Brad Scovill*TE26 Rec, 331 Yds, 12.7 Avg
Mike McCloskeyTE4 Rec, 93 Yds,
OL Sean Farrell*OLBob Jagers*
OLMike Munchak*OLIrv Pankey*OLJim RomanoOL
Bruce Clark*DLGreg Jones*
DLLarry Kubin*
DLMatt Millen*
DLPete Kugler
DL Leo WisniewskiDLSteve Griffiths*LBLance Mehl*LBRick DonaldsonLBMatt Bradley*DBGuiseppe Harris*DBKarl McCoy*DBMicky Urquhart*DBGrover EdwardsDBRalph GiacomarroP
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My senior year at Penn State. I believe that was the year Paterno was both AD and HFC, and football coaching suffered. Tate was absolutely horrible at QB. I also believe that was the year a football player (? Dave Paffenroth) saw some frat guy on campus walking to class and walked over to him and beat the living daylights out of him because the frat guy wouldn’t let him into a party. There was a lack of discipline on that team and I believe it was related to the fact that Paterno was trying to handle two time consuming jobs at the same time.
1988. My SR season and Joe's first losing season. It really came a shock to my system becuase I just didn't think that could ever happen.
There certainly were discipline problems on the team. Was Millen’s senior year and he and Joe butted heads often, IRC. Other issues too. After that year, Joe said something to the like of ‘we kinda lost focus on what we are trying to do and now it is time to refocus on our goals’.
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As somebody else said, the 2000- 2004 era, minus 2002. There were a lot of discipline problems on those squads. There were also a lot of episodes with the law. The fraternity fight really pissed me off when I heard the details. My senior year was 1983 and the guys on the team back then we’re generally good people and very approachable. PSU FB had changed a lot and not in a good way by the early 2000’s.
Thankfully , things really started to change positively toward the end of 2004.
Thankfully , things really started to change positively toward the end of 2004.
The 2020 team after bad losses to Maryland and Nebraska and then getting mauled by Iowa. Don't recall a Penn State team getting pushed around like they did vs Iowa. Somewhat redeemed by 4 wins to end the season.
Hate is a strong word. Obviously the Hack years were bad but that was due to corrupt NCAA sanctions, leading to no depth on roster. 2000 was bad with Casey incident but perhaps overhang from 1999 talent loss/disappointment. 2001 is my vote. Senneca at QB..sweet Jesus..blowout loss to Miami to start season and it just got worse, starting 0-4. Only shining moment was Zack against OSU. You realized Joe was too old ad had lost the program. It was sad year.
That team may have had the worst attitude of any I can recall. Good choice, Spin.
P.S. Matt Millen was a big part of the attitude problem that year.
I was going to say 1988 also. Losing to Dick Anderson and Rutgers was a horrible feeling because you knew we were a better team than that and to see those a-hats running around yelling and screaming at the end of the game left a very sour taste all around the stadium. Nothing against Anderson though, he flat out-coached Paterno in that game.
The whole season was odd, though the seasons in that 87-90 era are sort of running together for me. Syracuse had a decent team, West Virginia had a really good team that year. Just looked it up. We lost at Alabama 8-3. I think the Maryland game was played in a heavy rainstorm, but we pulled it out.
I don't understand this. If it wasn't for Covid and they usual 3 cupcake games they would have been in a bowl game. The 3-9 and 4-7 teams were fare worse. They just had a steady diet of cupcakes to start the season.
No team has ever started the season playing 5 conference games. They always had their healthy dose of cupcake games to start the season. If this team would have opened up with a Kent State and San Jose State it wouldn't started 0-5.
In fairness, that was a freak plan against Minnesota. We shouldn't have been in that position in the first place, but on that one play, the ball SHOULD have hit the ground and it hit his foot and bounced back up. ugh. I was at that game.
Probably for me I would say 1997. I thought it was a waste to start McQueary as a fifth year senior first time starter. Then you had the Enis incident. Joe Jurevicius getting suspended for the bowl game.
It was the first team for me that didn't seem to have a team first attitude.
It really should have been a springboard for 1998 and 1999 but neither of those teams seemed to rally around their talent.
It was the first team for me that didn't seem to have a team first attitude.
It really should have been a springboard for 1998 and 1999 but neither of those teams seemed to rally around their talent.
My answer as well. They believed their press clippings then folded when they didn’t turn out to be true.
I was there too - my second ever game. First was the loss to Cincinnati. I should have quit then.
