2003 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

American college football season March 2012 February 2026 2003 Penn State Nittany Lions Penn State text logo.svg 250 Big Ten Conference Big Ten 3-9 1-7 Joe Paterno 38th Fran Ganter 20th Tom Bradley 4th Pro-style 4–3 Beaver Stadium The 2003 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2003 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 offense returns five starters, including quarterback Zack Mills, who was on pace for a record-shattering season before injuring his left throwing arm, and with the emergence of Larry Johnson, the Nittany Lions practically stopped throwing the ball. But in addition to losing Johnson, who won the Maxwell Award, the Doak Walker Award, the Walter Camp Award, and finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting, the offensive unit also loses its leading receiver Bryant Johnson and four starters on the offensive line. Top candidates to replace Johnson include junior Mike Gasparato and true freshmen Austin Scott and Tony Hunt. Defensive tackle Levi Brown was moved to left tackle to help shore up the offensive line. Penn State started the season ranked No. 25 in the Coaches college football preseason poll and was unranked in the AP college football preseason poll. Recruiting class yes yes Terrell Golden WR Norfolk, Virginia Lake Taylor HS 6 4 200 4.60 2002-12-17 3 3 Joel Holler OL Lancaster, Pennsylvania McCaskey Hs-Lev II 6 6 335 5.40 2002-12-18 4 4 Tony Hunt RB Alexandria, Virginia T. C. Williams HS 6 2 222 4.52 2003-02-04 3 3 Jonathan Jackson WR Philadelphia, Pennsylvania West Philadelphia Catholic HS 6 1 185 4.45 2003-01-24 3 3 Rodney Kinlaw RB Goose Creek, South Carolina Stratford HS 5 10 185 4.35 2003-01-31 3 3 Dan Mazan OL Carteret, New Jersey Carteret HS 6 4 305 4.90 2002-12-03 3 4 Paul Posluszny LB Aliquippa, Pennsylvania Hopewell SHS 6 2 210 4.62 2002-08-05 4 3 Paolo Colacicco DE/LB Bronx, New York Dewitt Clinton HS 6 0 266 4.82 2003-02-03 5 4 Austin Scott RB Allentown, Pennsylvania Parkland SHS 6 1 195 4.40 2002-09-11 4 4 John Shaw DT Spring Grove, Pennsylvania Spring Grove Area SHS 6 4 275 4.87 2002-07-01 3 4 Brent Wise WR Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Central Dauphin SHS 6 0 190 4.40 2003-01-19 2 2 yes 2003 Penn State Commit List for 2003 Scout.com Football Recruiting: Penn State bwi 157 50 93 February 9, 2007 yes Schedule 2003 AP Eastern August 30 3:30 p.m. w y Temple Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ESPN Plus 23–10 101,553 September 6 12:00 p.m. l y Boston College Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ABC 14–27 106,445 September 13 8:00 p.m. l y y Nebraska 18 Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE ABC 10–18 78,008 September 20 1:00 p.m. w y Kent State Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ESPN.com 32–10 102,078 September 27 12:00 p.m. l Minnesota 24 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA Governor's Victory Bell ESPN 14–20 106,735 October 4 12:00 p.m. l y Wisconsin Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ESPN Plus 23–30 107,851 October 11 3:30 p.m. l y Purdue 18 Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN ABC 14–28 59,720 October 25 12:00 p.m. l y Iowa 16 Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA ABC 14–26 70,397 November 1 3:30 p.m. l Ohio State 8 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA rivalry ABC 20–21 108,276 November 8 12:00 p.m. l y Northwestern Ryan Field Evanston, IL ESPN2 7–17 26,188 November 15 12:00 p.m. w Indiana Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ESPN Plus 52–7 106,465 November 22 12:00 p.m. l y Michigan State Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI rivalry ESPN 10–41 72,119 Roster 2003 Penn State Nittany Lions y Terrell Golden 1 WR FR Chris Ganter 3 QB SO y Donnie Johnson 6 WR FR y Zack Mills 7 QB JR y Rodney Kinlaw 8 RB FR y Terrance Phillips 9 WR SO y Tony Johnson 11 WR SR Michael Robinson 12 QB SO y Michael Robinson (fullback) Kinta Palmer 13 WR SO y Andy Kubic 14 QB FR y Mike Baird 15 WR SO y Brent Wise 15 WR FR Dan Corrado 16 WR FR Tom Lundquist 19 QB SO y Gerald Smith 19 WR JR y Austin Scott 22 RB FR Aric Heffelfinger 23 RB FR y Tony Hunt Tony Hunt (running back) 24 RB FR y Josh Hannum 26 WR FR y Chris Wilson 28 RB FR y BranDon Snow 30 FB FR y Ernie Terrell 31 WR SO y Mike Gasparato 32 RB JR y Mike Lukac 33 TE SR y Brian Fairchild 36 FB SO y Sean McHugh 42 FB SR y y Ricky Upton 42 RB SR y Adam Senk 45 FB SO y Blase Iorio 52 OL FR Steve Roach 53 G FR y Scott Davis 54 G JR y Nick Albano 57 OL FR Charles Rush 59 G SO y Patick Weber 60 OL FR David Costlow 61 C SR y Nick Daise 62 OL FR y Dan Mazan 63 OL FR Chad Albright 64 OL FR Robert Price 65 G FR y Lance Antolick 66 C SO y Levi Brown 67 T FR y y Levi Brown (offensive tackle) John Wilson 68 T SO y Nick Marmo 70 C JR y Mark Farris 71 G FR y Lee Lispi 72 T FR Joel Holler 73 OL FR Tyler Reed 74 G SO y y Tyler Reed (American football) Chris McKelvy 75 T SR Damone Jones 76 T SR Chris Auletta 79 T FR Scott Shirley 80 WR SR y Isaac Smolko 81 TE SO y y Jason Stryker 81 WR JR y Vic Surma 82 WR FR y Ryan Scott 83 WR JR y Jamal Huff 84 WR SO y Brandan Perretta 84 WR FR Matt Kranchick 88 TE SR y y Andrew Richardson 89 TE SO y Casey Williams 93 TE SR y Mike Pawlikowski 98 TE JR y Anwar Phillips 1 CB SO y y Deryck Toles 2 LB SR Jason Ganter 4 DB FR Maurice Humphrey 5 CB FR y Calvin Lowry 10 S SO y y Kevin Darling 13 LB FR y Jim Kanuch 14 S FR y Yaacov Yisrael 15 S SR Andy Ryland 16 LB SR y Lavon Chisley 17 DE SO y Andrew Guman 18 S JR y Marcus Mills 20 DB SO y Tim Shaw 20 LB SO y Tim Shaw (American football) Alan Zemaitis 21 CB SO y Darien Hardy 22 CB FR Matt Fontana 23 DB FR Nolan McCready 24 CB FR y Rich Gardner 25 CB SR y Vince Gliatta 26 S FR Chris Harrell 27 S JR y Paul Cronin 29 S SO y Gio Vendemia 34 CB SO y John Royse 35 DB SO y J.R. Zwierzynski 35 LB FR y Jimi Mitchell 38 LB JR Paul Posluszny 39 LB FR y T.C. Cosby 40 LB JR Scott Paxson 41 DT SO y y Adam Taliaferro 43 DB SR Pat Bedics 45 LB FR Curt Reese 46 DB SO y Gino Capone 47 LB SR Matt Pavelic 48 LB FR Dorian Burton 49 LB SO y Jamel Felder 50 DL FR Tim Johnson 51 LB JR y Amani Purcell 54 DE FR Matthew Rice 55 DE SO y y Paolo Colacicco 56 DE/LB FR y Richard Cheek 67 DL FR Jason Robinson 69 DT JR y Lee Kuzemchak 75 DT FR Jay Alford 85 DT FR y y Jeremiah Davis 86 DE JR John Bronson 87 DE JR y y Tamba Hali 91 DT SO y y Ed Johnson 92 DT FR y Derek Wake 94 LB JR y y C Cameron Wake Mike Sothern 95 DL FR Patrick Hall 96 DE FR y Greg Bauer 97 DE SO John Shaw 98 DT FR Sam Ruhe 99 LB JR Robbie Gould 4 K JR y y Jeremy Kapinos 36 P FR y y Nate Weltman 48 K FR Brandon Ream 49 P FR David Kimball 95 K SR http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/psu-m-footbl-mtt.html October 29, 2003 Joe Paterno Game summaries Temple Temple 0 3 0 7 Penn State 0 7 6 10 Penn State played four tailbacks to beat the Owls 23–10. Zack Mills was 7 of 16 for 79 yards and a touchdown. Backup quarterback Michael Robinson, who started at tailback, led the team with 84 yards rushing. True freshman Austin Scott was next with 69 yards on a team-high 12 carries. Fifth-year senior Ricky Upton had 19 yards on four carries, and true freshman Tony Hunt had 12 yards on three carries. This would be the only game of 2003 in which Penn State never once trailed. Boston College Boston College 21 3 3 0 Penn State 0 7 0 7 The Boston College Eagles jumped out to an early lead against a flat Penn State team, as the Eagles won 27–14. The Eagles went up 21–0 with 7:50 left in the first quarter, amassing 206 of its 383 total yards by the end of the first quarter. Zack Mills was 15 of 28 for 144 yards but was benched in favor of Michael Robinson in the third quarter. Robinson led the Lions to a touchdown but going only 4 of 11 for 41 yards. Penn State was inside the Boston College 30 five times and came away with only 14 points. Nebraska Penn State 0 10 0 0 Nebraska 3 6 6 3 The Cornhuskers running game dominated Penn State, as the Huskers won 18–10. Nebraska rushed for 337 yards on 72 carries and held the ball twice as long as Penn State, who managed only 44 yards on 21 carries. Kent State Kent State 10 0 0 0 Penn State 7 10 12 3 Austin Scott made his first career start as Penn State erased a 10-point deficit to beat the Golden Flashes 32–10. Scott rushed for 100 yards on 21 carries with three touchdowns. Fullback Sean McHugh added 49 yards on nine carries and a touchdown. Redshirt freshman cornerback Maurice Humphrey made his first appearance at receiver and produced three receptions for 37 yards. Michael Robinson was used strictly as a quarterback, finishing 2 of 9 for 29 yards, alternating with Zack Mills who finished 10 of 20 for 99 yards. Minnesota Minnesota 14 3 0 3 Penn State 0 14 0 0 Michael Robinson got his first significant playing time under center, in relief of an injured Zack Mills whose left knee was sprained in the second quarter and did not return, but it wasn't enough to beat the Golden Gophers as the Lions lost 20–14. Robinson finished 16 of 27 for 178 yards but with two interceptions. He also had 42 yards rushing on 12 carries and a touchdown. 2003 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team Governor's Victory Bell Wisconsin Wisconsin 7 10 6 7 Penn State 3 6 7 7 Penn State's special teams broke down as the Badgers won 30–23. The Lions special teams allowed a punt returned for a touchdown, fumbled a punt that led to another touchdown, had two missed field goals and a missed extra point. The defense couldn't stop Wisconsin's running game, allowing 234 yards on the ground, 119 from Wisconsin's third-stringer Booker Stanley. Overshadowed was Michael Robinson's superb performance in his first start at quarterback. Robinson finished 22 of 43 for 379 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. His 379 passing yards ranked second on Penn State's all-time list at the time. Purdue Penn State 0 14 0 0 Purdue 7 10 3 8 The Boilermakers defense held the Penn State offense to only 204 total yards as Purdue won 28–14. Michael Robinson, starting at quarterback for the second straight week, was held to only 98 yards passing on 10 of 32 attempts. Purdue, known mostly as a passing team, rushed for 234 yards, compared to Penn State's 125 yards rushing. Tony Hunt led the team with 47 yards on nine carries. Iowa Penn State 7 0 7 0 Iowa 0 12 14 0 The Hawkeyes defense dominated the Penn State offense as Iowa goes on to win 26–14. The Lions led after the first quarter when safety Yaacov Yisrael returned an interception 83 yards for a touchdown. Penn State and starting quarterback Michael Robinson started their first three possessions in Iowa territory but couldn't move the ball and had a fumble returned that set up Iowa's first touchdown. Robinson was replaced by Zack Mills, who went 14 of 25 for 138 yards and a touchdown in the final three quarters, but the team failed to mount a serious comeback. Ohio State Ohio State 7 0 7 7 Penn State 7 10 0 3 Zack Mills regained the starting position, but it wasn't enough as the Buckeyes defeated the Lions 21–20. Mills was 27 of 43 for 253 yards, becoming the school's all-time leader in completions with 406, passing Tony Sacca. He also moved past Todd Blackledge into fourth place in passing yards with 4,973. Mills also moved into second place in total offense with 5,482 yards. Converted cornerback Maurice Humphrey had seven receptions for 64 yards, and little-used Terrance Phillips had his first career reception and finished with two catches for 47 yards. On defense, Alan Zemaitis returned an interception 78 yards for a touchdown. Kickoff specialist David Kimball made the first field goal of his career, replacing Robbie Gould in all kicking roles. 2003 Ohio State Buckeyes football team Northwestern Penn State 0 7 0 0 Northwestern 0 0 0 17 The Nittany Lions, in control most of the game, couldn't hold off the Wildcats as the Wildcats scored 17 points in the final seven minutes to win 17–7. Zack Mills finished 22 of 36 for 230 yards passing and an interception but also rushed for Penn State's lone score. Maurice Humphrey led Penn State with eight receptions for 97 yards but dropped two passes including one that would have been a touchdown. Michael Robinson started at tailback and finished with 15 rushes for 47 yards, five receptions for 55 yards, and was 1 for 1 for 11 yards passing. Fullback Sean McHugh led the team in rushing with 79 yards on 10 carries. The defense forced three Wildcat turnovers. Paul Posluszny made eight tackles, including one for a loss and a crucial stop on fourth-and-1. Yaacov Yisrael led the Lions with 15 tackles forced a fumble. Indiana Indiana 7 0 0 0 Penn State 14 7 31 0 On senior day Penn State scored on offense, defense, and special teams, as they rolled over the Hoosiers 52–7. After the Hoosiers jumped to a 7–0 lead, Penn State piled on 52 unanswered points. Zack Mills was 12 of 19 for 173 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Michael Robinson started at tailback and rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown. Robinson was also 2 of 3 passing for 87 yards and a touchdown. Senior Tony Johnson had three receptions, all for touchdowns, totaling 47 yards. On special teams, Robbie Gould kicked a 37-yard field goal. Yaacov Yisrael also blocked a punt, that Andrew Guman recovered and returned seven yards for a touchdown. Linebacker Paul Posluszny also returned an interception 15 yards for a touchdown. Michigan State Penn State 3 0 0 7 Michigan State 7 14 7 13 Robbie Gould gave the Lions a 3–0 lead, but it was all Michigan State Spartans after that en route to a 41–10 victory over the Nittany Lions. The Lions defense could not stop the Spartans, as Michigan State quarterback Jeff Smoker completed 29 of 50 for 357 yards and four touchdowns. Zack Mills finished 11 of 24 for 114 yards, becoming Penn State's career leader in total offense and also moved into second place on the school's passing yardage list. Land Grant Trophy Awards Watchlists Gino Capone Dick Butkus Award watchlisthttp://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=4716 Capone and Wake named to Butkus Award Watch List Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics August 21, 2003 January 23, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20050426182309/http://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=4716 April 26, 2005 dead Robbie Gould Lou Groza Award watchlisthttp://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=4683 Penn State's Gould named to Lou Groza Award Watch List Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics August 6, 2003 January 23, 2007September 2016 medicmedic Zack Mills Davey O'Brien Award watchlisthttp://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=4669 Quarterback Zack Mills Named To Davey O'Brien Award Watch List For Third Time Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics July 29, 2003 January 23, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20050426182136/http://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=4669 April 26, 2005 dead Derek Wake Dick Butkus Award watchlist Players Dave Costlow Second-team CoSIDA Academic All-Americanhttp://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=5264 Dave Costlow Selected To Academic All-America Football Team Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics December 1, 2003 January 23, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20040819113928/http://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=5264 August 19, 2004 dead First-team CoSIDA Academic All-Districthttp://www.cosida.com/formpdfs/udfbad03.pdf 2003 Academic All-District Football Team College Sports Information Directors of America November 26, 2008 Gino Capone First-team CoSIDA Academic All-District Michael Robinson Second-team CoSIDA Academic All-District Gio Vendemia Second-team CoSIDA Academic All-District Yaacov Yisrael Second-team All-Big Ten (conference coaches selection)http://www.gopsusports.com/docs/football03/2003_All-Big_Ten_Teams.pdf 2003 All-Big Ten Conference Football Team Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics PDF January 23, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070615040722/http://www.gopsusports.com/docs/football03/2003_All-Big_Ten_Teams.pdf June 15, 2007 Alan Zemaitis Second-team All-Big Ten (conference media selection) Postseason Penn State finished the season with a 3–9 record, 1–7 in the Big Ten, Paterno's worst ever at Penn State. It was the third losing season in the past four, and only Paterno's fourth losing season since joining the coaching staff in 1950. Nine losses were the most ever for a Penn State team, breaking the record set by the 1931 2–8 team. The season ended without any wins in road games, which hadn't occurred since 1936. Despite the losing record, Penn State claimed second place in football attendance for the third consecutive season, averaging 105,629 through seven home games, ranking in the top four for the 13th consecutive year. The Ohio State game drew Penn State's largest home crowd of 108,276, the seventh largest crowd ever in Beaver Stadium.http://live.psu.edu/story/5552 Penn State again ranks second in NCAA football attendance Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics February 12, 2004 January 23, 2007 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060503233803/http://live.psu.edu/story/5552 May 3, 2006 mdy-all The team's second-leading receiver Maurice Humphrey, after a promising season at wide receiver was expelled from school and convicted of three counts of simple assault. Humphrey would not play another down for Penn State. NFL draft Four Nittany Lions were drafted in the 2004 NFL draft. Round Pick Overall Name Position Team 3rd 29 92 Rich Gardner Cornerback Tennessee Titans 6th 29 194 Matt Kranchick Tight end Pittsburgh Steelers 7th 28 229 David Kimball Placekicker Indianapolis Colts 7th 40 241 Sean McHugh Tight end Tennessee Titans All-star games Game Date Site Players 65th Blue–Gray Football Classic December 25, 2003 Veterans Stadium, Troy, Alabama Tony Johnson, Matt Kranchick, Chris McKelvy, Deryck Toles 58th Hula Bowl January 17, 2004 War Memorial Stadium, Wailuku, Hawaii Gino Capone, Yaacov Yisrael 1st Las Vegas All-American Classic January 17, 2004 Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada Dave Costlow, Sean McHugh 55th Senior Bowl January 24, 2004 Ladd–Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama Rich Gardner 6th Gridiron Classic January 31, 2004 The Villages Polo Stadium, The Villages, Florida Deryck Toles See also Uplifting Athletes References Penn State Category:Penn State Nittany Lions football seasons Penn State Nittany Lions football