# 1973 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

The 1973 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. Penn State's third undefeated season under Joe Paterno was led by John Cappelletti who would become the first Penn State player to win the Heisman Trophy.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 15 | at Stanford | No. 7 | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA | ABC | W 20–6 | 57,000 |
| September 22 | at Navy | No. 7 | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD | | W 39–0 | 28,383 |
| September 29 | Iowa | No. 6 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | | W 27–8 | 59,980 |
| October 6 | at Air Force | No. 7 | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO | ABC | W 19–9 | 37,077 |
| October 13 | Army | No. 7 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | | W 54–3 | 58,194 |
| October 20 | at Syracuse | No. 5 | Archbold StadiumSyracuse, NY (rivalry) | | W 49–6 | 27,595 |
| October 27 | West Virginia | No. 5 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (rivalry) | | W 62–14 | 59,138 |
| November 3 | at Maryland | No. 6 | Byrd StadiumCollege Park, MD (rivalry) | | W 42–22 | 44,135 |
| November 10 | NC State | No. 6 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | | W 35–29 | 59,184–59,424 |
| November 17 | Ohio | No. 6 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | | W 49–10 | 51,804 |
| November 24 | No. 20 Pittsburgh | No. 6 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (rivalry) | | W 35–13 | 56,600 |
| January 1, 1974 | vs. No. 13 LSU | No. 6 | Miami Orange BowlMiami, FL (Orange Bowl) | NBC | W 16–9 | 60,477 |
| HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Navy

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #7 Penn State | 7 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 39 |
| Navy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
* Date: Saturday, September 22
* Game attendance: 28,383
* Recap
Penn State capitalized on a fumble and two short punts to score three second-quarter touchdowns and break the game wide open against Navy. The Nittany Lions opened scoring with just one second left in the first as QB Tom Shuman hit SE Gary Heyman for a touchdown to cap an 88-yard drive. On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, E Greg Murphy recovered a fumble by RB Bob Jackson at the Navy 41, and the Lions took two-and-a-half minutes and five plays to score again. Penn State scored on two more quick drives of 60 and 51 yards following short punts into a stiff wind by John Stufflebeem. The Lions added a field goal by Chris Bahr midway through the third and backup QB John Clark capped a 56-yard drive with a keeper to put Penn State ahead 37-0. The final points of the contest came when a snap from Navy's center sailed over Stufflebeem's head and out of the end zone for a safety.

### Syracuse

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Penn St | 3 | 19 | 21 | 6 | 49 |
| Syracuse | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |

## Statistics
### Passing

| Player | Comp | Att | Yards | TD | INT |
| Shuman | 83 | 161 | 1,375 | 13 | 5 |
| Barvinchak | 8 | 15 | 163 | 1 | 2 |
| Cappelletti | 1 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Clark | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 | 0 |
| Petchel | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Post season
### NFL Draft

Ten Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1974 NFL draft.
| Round | Pick | Overall | Name | Position | Team |
| 1st | 8 | 8 | Ed O'Neil | Linebacker | Detroit Lions |
| 1st | 11 | 11 | John Cappelletti | Running back | Los Angeles Rams |
| 2nd | 1 | 27 | Doug Allen | Linebacker | Buffalo Bills |
| 2nd | 15 | 41 | Charlie Getty | Offensive tackle | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2nd | 17 | 43 | Mark Markovich | Center | San Diego Chargers |
| 5th | 2 | 106 | Gary Hayman | Running back | Buffalo Bills |
| 6th | 6 | 136 | Randy Crowder | Defensive tackle | Miami Dolphins |
| 9th | 9 | 217 | Phil LaPorta | Offensive tackle | New Orleans Saints |
| 10th | 22 | 256 | Chuck Herd | Wide receiver | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 12th | 8 | 294 | Tom Hull | Linebacker | San Francisco 49ers |

### Awards

* John Cappelletti
       Heisman Trophy
       Maxwell Award
       Walter Camp Award