1997 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

1997 Penn State Nittany Lions football
1997 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy
Florida Citrus Bowl, L 6–21 vs. Florida
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 17
AP	No. 16
Record	9–3 (6–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Joe Paterno (32nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Fran Ganter (14th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Jerry Sandusky (21st season)
Base defense	4–3
Captains	Aaron Collins; Matt Fornadel; Mike McQueary; Phil Ostrowski;
Home stadium	Beaver Stadium
	Seasons ← 1996 1998 →

The 1997 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 32nd-year head coach Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions compiled an overall record of 9–3 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for second in the Big Ten. Penn State was invited to the Florida Citrus Bowl, where the Nittany Lions lost to Florida. The team played home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.

CoachesNo. 17

APNo. 16

Record9–3 (6–2 Big Ten)

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1997 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 1 Michigan $	8	–	0	12	–	0
No. 12 Ohio State	6	–	2	10	–	3
No. 16 Penn State	6	–	2	9	–	3
No. 15 Purdue	6	–	2	9	–	3
Wisconsin	5	–	3	8	–	5
Iowa	4	–	4	7	–	5
Michigan State	4	–	4	7	–	5
Northwestern	3	–	5	5	–	7
Minnesota	1	–	7	3	–	9
Indiana	1	–	7	2	–	9
Illinois	0	–	8	0	–	11

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

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Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	3:30 p.m.	Pittsburgh*	No. 1	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 34–17	97,115
September 13	1:00 p.m.	Temple*	No. 1	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA		W 52–10	96,735
September 20	12:00 p.m.	at Louisville*	No. 1	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	CBS	W 57–21	39,826
October 4	12:30 p.m.	at Illinois	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ESPN2	W 41–6	51,523
October 11	3:30 p.m.	No. 7 Ohio State	No. 2	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 31–27	97,282
October 18	12:00 p.m.	Minnesota	No. 1	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (Governor's Victory Bell)	ESPN Plus	W 16–15	96,953
November 1	12:30 p.m.	at Northwestern	No. 2	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ESPN	W 30–27	47,129
November 8	3:30 p.m.	No. 4 Michigan	No. 2	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 8–34	97,498
November 15	12:00 p.m.	at No. 19 Purdue	No. 6	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	ESPN	W 42–17	52,156
November 22	3:30 p.m.	No. 24 Wisconsin	No. 6	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ABC	W 35–10	96,934
November 29	1:00 p.m.	at Michigan State	No. 4	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	ABC	L 14–49	73,623
January 1, 1998	1:00 p.m.	vs. No. 6 Florida*	No. 11	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL (Florida Citrus Bowl)	ABC	L 6–21	72,940	^[1]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Round	Pick	Overall	Name	Position	Team
1st	5	5	Curtis Enis	Running back	Chicago Bears
2nd	25	55	Joe Jurevicius	Wide receiver	New York Giants
5th	28	151	Phil Ostrowski	Offensive guard	San Francisco 49ers

Schedule