# 2004 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

The 2004 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno. It played its home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.

## Preseason

The spring saw some changes to the coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Fran Ganter was named the new Associate Athletic Director for Football Administration, after 37 years as a player and coach for Penn State. Former Penn State quarterback Galen Hall joined the coaching staff as the new offensive coordinator and running backs coach. Mike McQueary, another former Penn State quarterback, joins the staff as the wide receivers coach and will also serve as the recruiting coordinator.
In addition to the coaching changes, head coach Joe Paterno had his contract extended through the 2008 football season, despite having had three losing seasons in the past four.
Last season's second-leading receiver Maurice Humphrey was expelled from school and convicted of three counts of simple assault. He would not play another down for Penn State. Humphrey's expulsion created a void of experience at the wide receiver position. Senior Gerald Smith was the most experienced receiver, and he had only 15 catches in 2003.
Prior to the season, Zack Mills and Derek Wake were elected team co-captains by their teammates.
Penn State started the season unranked in both the AP and the Coaches college football preseason polls.

### Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Wyatt Bowman OL | Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania | Cumberland Valley HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 314 lb (142 kg) | 5.20 | Apr 26, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Dontey Brown LB | McKeesport, Pennsylvania | McKeesport Area SHS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 252 lb (114 kg) | 4.70 | May 2, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Gerald Cadogan OL | Portsmouth, Ohio | Portsmouth HS | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 310 lb (140 kg) | 5.10 | Aug 8, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Paul Cianciolo QB | St. George, South Carolina | Dorchester Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 228 lb (103 kg) | 4.75 | Dec 5, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Dan Connor LB | Wallingford, Pennsylvania | Strath Haven HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 4.55 | Aug 5, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Tony Davis CB | Warren, Ohio | Howland HS | 5 ft 11.5 in (1.82 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 4.40 | May 13, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Josh Gaines TE | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Northrop HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 253 lb (115 kg) | 4.80 | Aug 2, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Matt Hahn RB | Melville, New York | St. Anthony's HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 4.50 | Feb 20, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Greg Harrison OL | Shenandoah, Pennsylvania | Shenandoah Valley JSHS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 299 lb (136 kg) | 5.20 | Apr 26, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Jed Hill TE | Struthers, Ohio | Struthers HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 247 lb (112 kg) | 4.60 | Jun 16, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Austin Hinton OL | Secaucus, New Jersey | Secaucus HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | 5.00 | Jul 1, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Dan Lawlor RB | Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania | Cumberland Valley HS | 6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | 4.60 | Jun 24, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Mike Lucian TE | Frederick, Maryland | Linganore HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 255 lb (116 kg) | 4.80 | Jun 18, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Jordan Lyons TE | College Park, Georgia | Woodward Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.70 | Jan 19, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Anthony Morelli QB | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Penn Hills SHS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | 4.70 | Feb 4, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Jordan Norwood CB | State College, Pennsylvania | State College Area HS | 5 ft 8.5 in (1.74 m) | 143 lb (65 kg) | NA | Dec 20, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Rich Ohrnberger OL | East Meadow, New York | East Meadow HS | 6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m) | 282 lb (128 kg) | 4.90 | Jul 12, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Spencer Ridenhour S | White Plains, New York | White Plains SHS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | 4.47 | May 22, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Elijah Robinson DT | Camden, New Jersey | Woodrow Wilson HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | NA | Jan 9, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Mark Rubin WR | Amherst, New York | Amherst Central HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 4.50 | Jun 28, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Tyrell Sales LB | Butler, Pennsylvania | Butler Area SHS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 243 lb (110 kg) | 4.69 | Aug 10, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| A.Q. Shipley DT | Coraopolis, Pennsylvania | Moon SHS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | 4.96 | Jun 18, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Kevin Suhey QB | State College, Pennsylvania | State College Area HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.68 | Dec 3, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Trent Varva OL | Lake Orion, Michigan | Lake Orion Community HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 310 lb (140 kg) | 5.00 | Jul 8, 2003 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 12 Rivals: 14 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Penn State Commit List for 2004". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Penn State". Scout.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007. "2004 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Akron* | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | ESPN Plus | W 48–10 | 98,866 |
| September 11 | 8:00 p.m. | at Boston College* | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ABC | L 7–21 | 44,500 |
| September 18 | 12:00 p.m. | UCF* | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | ESPN Plus | W 37–13 | 101,715 |
| September 25 | 5:45 p.m. | at No. 20 Wisconsin | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI (College GameDay) | ESPN | L 3–16 | 82,179 |
| October 2 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 18 Minnesota | Hubert H. Humphrey MetrodomeMinneapolis, MN (Governor's Victory Bell) | ESPN Plus | L 7–16 | 50,386 |
| October 9 | 4:30 p.m. | No. 9 Purdue | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | ESPN | L 13–20 | 108,183 |
| October 23 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 25 Iowa | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | ESPN2 | L 4–6 | 108,062 |
| October 30 | 12:00 p.m. | at Ohio State | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH (rivalry) | ABC | L 10–21 | 104,947 |
| November 6 | 12:00 p.m. | Northwestern | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | ESPN+ | L 7–14 | 100,353 |
| November 13 | 12:00 p.m. | at Indiana | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN | ESPN Plus | W 22–18 | 24,092 |
| November 20 | 12:00 p.m. | Michigan State | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (rivalry) | ESPN2 | W 37–13 | 101,486 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

* Joe Paterno – Head Coach
* Dick Anderson – Offensive Line (Guards and Centers)
* Tom Bradley – Defensive Coordinator and Cornerbacks
* Galen Hall – Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs
* Larry Johnson Sr. – Defensive Line
* Bill Kenney – Offensive Tackles and Tight Ends
* Mike McQueary – Wide Receivers and Recruiting Coordinator
* Brian Norwood – Safeties
* Jay Paterno – Quarterbacks
* Ron Vanderlinden – Linebackers
* John Thomas – Strength and Conditioning

## Game summaries
### Akron

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Akron | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Penn State | 21 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 48 |
The overwhelmed Zips find themselves behind 41–3 at halftime against Penn State, who subs in the backups, Penn State scores once in the third to make it 48–3, and Akron scores a late, meaningless touchdown against the Lions to bring the score to 48–10, with this being Galen Hall's first game as an offensive coordinator. This game gave Penn State fans false hope that their team was on the rebound from their 3–9 season last year. ESPN described the offense as "looking unstoppable", which led to the Lions being favored over Boston College the following week.

### Boston College

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Boston College | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Boston College takes a 14–0 halftime lead at home over the Nittany Lions, and then takes a 21–7 lead after three for the game's final points. Sloppy play on offense ultimately doomed Penn State as Boston College becomes the first of three teams to score 20 or more points on a defense that didn't allow more than 21 points all year and the only team to score 21 offensive points on the Nittany Lions.

### UCF

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| UCF | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Penn State | 0 | 21 | 9 | 7 | 37 |
Despite sloppy play and mistakes, the Golden Knights couldn't help but find themselves blown out by a much better Penn State team. After falling behind 3–0 in the first quarter, the Nittany Lions make it 21–6 at halftime and 30–6 after three thanks to a touchdown and a safety. The backups are subbed in for the fourth, both teams score, and it's 37–13 as the final score.

### Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
In a defensive game, three of Penn State's quarterbacks were injured. Zack Mills was knocked out for the game, sustained a concussion, and backup Michael Robinson was taken away in an ambulance after sustaining life-threatening injuries from a vicious hit. Third stringer Chris Ganter did little against the Badgers' defense with Penn State only managing a field goal in the third quarter, barely preserving their streak of games without being shut out. Wisconsin only scored 16 points, which was well below their average for the year.

### Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Minnesota | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
After the game, Minnesota players had said that they had not seen a defense of Penn State's caliber before, but won because of Penn State's offensive weaknesses, still, Penn State's defense kept them in the game for the majority of the game, which would be true for every game this season.

### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Purdue | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Penn State | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
Purdue managed only their second Big Ten win in history over Penn State by holding on for a 20–13 win at Beaver Stadium. It was a 10–10 tie and 17–13 after three, but Purdue's final field goal was enough to win it. Purdue's historic losses to Penn State include a loss in 2000 to a 5–7 Nittany Lions team while Purdue themselves were Big Ten champions, representing themselves at the Rose Bowl.
This game is also significant in the history of both Beaver Stadium and Penn State football for another reason not pertaining to the game itself. To try and draw extra excitement for the team, in what was a down year for the program, the athletic department asked the students to wear white to the game. Over 20,000 students participated in what would become the first ever White Out in school history.

### Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Iowa | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Penn State | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
This is a game that by many Penn State fans was considered a low point for the football program because of the inept offenses and the fact that the only Penn State scores were defensive. The Penn State defense effectively shut down the Hawkeyes, forcing two first half field goals, but was unable to get anything going on offense. Penn State took a 2–0 lead on a safety early in the game, but the Hawkeyes had a field goal to make it 3–2, then another to make it 6–2 at halftime. The Hawkeyes barely gained any ground in the second half, and the Nittany Lions got their final two points from an elective safety in the fourth quarter because Iowa feared that Penn State would block the punt in the end zone, taking the lead on a touchdown, because they had already blocked a few punts that day. The strategy worked, Penn State coughed up the ball on their next drive and Iowa took a knee to kill the clock. While this game was a low point for Penn State, it was a big game for the Hawkeyes because head coach Kirk Ferentz's father died the week before.
While technically not an official White Out, students were encouraged to wear white again to this game. Participation was about the same as at the Purdue game and the loss resulted in a brief drop in the popularity of the event.

### Ohio State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Ohio State | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Ohio State scored a defensive and special teams touchdown, but Penn State's defense mostly kept them out of the end zone in a 21–10 loss, one of two times they scored double digits in the Horseshoe as a Big 10 team, the other time being in 2008 where they won 13–6 to take control of the Big Ten race. Penn State actually outscored the Buckeyes 10–7 offensively.

### Northwestern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Northwestern | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Penn State | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Penn State held the momentum and controlled the tempo of most of the game, but couldn't quite put the Wildcats away, despite having a few opportunities to, including a missed field goal and a drive that ended at the Northwestern 18, losing another close game 7–14.

### Indiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 7 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 22 |
| Indiana | 7 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 18 |
This is the game that is said to have turned Penn State's fortunes around. In the same way that the 1999 upset loss to Minnesota was believed to begin a downward spiral called "The Dark Years" by Penn State fans, this close game that ended with a four down goal line stand very late in the game, with Penn State clinging to a 22–16 lead, is said to have been the game that started Penn State on the winning track again and springboarded the team towards the 2005 Big Ten championship. Indiana managed a 13–7 halftime lead, but late in the game found themselves down 22–16, only scoring a field goal but leading 16–14 until Penn State took the lead on a late touchdown and two-point conversion. Penn State stopped Indiana four straight times at the goal line, eventually conceding a safety on the final play of the game to prevent Indiana from having a chance to win. Penn State's goal line stand at Indiana as a result of the momentum it gave the team is considered one of the best Penn State games.

### Michigan State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Michigan State | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Penn State | 0 | 3 | 28 | 6 | 37 |
The Spartans of Michigan State were 5–5, hoping to become bowl eligible, and the only thing standing in their way was a 3–7 Penn State team who only had one Big Ten win, but the goal line stand at Indiana that led to the Penn State victory the previous week gave them the momentum to win this game big. After a slow first half where Michigan State led 6–3, Penn State rolled off 28 third quarter points to put the game out of reach, going up 31–6 on the Spartans thanks to a plethora of interceptions. Penn State would kick two more field goals in the last quarter while the Spartans scored a late touchdown against backups.
Again, this game also sheds some light on the history of the White Out. After losses against Purdue and Iowa earlier in the season, the athletic department changed strategy with a "Code Blue" dress code. This time, it was extended to all fans in the stadium and students went from dorm to dorm to spread the word. Despite winning the game, the tradition did not stick and fans went back to wearing white the following season.

## Awards
### Watchlists

* Zack Mills
    Davey O'Brien Award watchlist
    Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watchlist
* Alan Zemaitis
    Jim Thorpe Award watchlist

### Players

* Dan Connor
    First-team Sporting News Freshman All-American
    First-team FWAA Freshman All-American
* Andrew Guman
    First-team ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-American
    ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District
* Tamba Hali
    Second-team All-Big Ten
* Paul Jefferson
    ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District
* Jeremy Kapinos
    Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week (Oct. 30)
* Paul Posluszny
    Second-team All-Big Ten
    Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 13)
    ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District
* Alan Zemaitis
    Second-team All-Big Ten

## Post season

The offense did not get going until the third quarter of the final game, but the defense finished the season in the top 10 in four NCAA statistical categories and was the only team in the nation to not allow more than 21 points a game. The Nittany Lion defense ranked fifth in scoring defense (15.3 points per game), ranked tenth in total defense (291.55 yards per game), ranked sixth in pass defense (162.3 ypg), ranked fourth in pass efficiency defense (99.8 rating), and held all 11 opponents below their total offense average.
Despite the losing record, Penn State ranked among the top four in attendance for the 14th consecutive year, averaging 103,111 in six home games, including attendances of 108,183 against Purdue and 108,062 against Iowa, the ninth and tenth largest crowds in Beaver Stadium history.
None of the departing players were drafted in the 2005 NFL draft, but a number of players signed with NFL teams as free agents.

### All-star games

| Game | Date | Site | Players |
| 80th East–West Shrine Game | January 15, 2005 | SBC Park, San Francisco | Andrew Guman |
| 7th Gridiron Classic | January 15, 2005 | The Villages Polo Stadium, The Villages, Florida | Paul Jefferson |
| 59th Hula Bowl | January 22, 2005 | War Memorial Stadium, Wailuku, Hawaii | Derek Wake |
| 2nd Las Vegas All-American Classic | January 22, 2005 | Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada | Zack Mills |