1997 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

American college football season January 2025 February 2026 1997 Penn State Nittany Lions football Penn State text logo.svg 250 Big Ten Conference Big Ten 17 16 9–3 6–2 Joe Paterno 32nd Fran Ganter 14th Pro-style Jerry Sandusky 21st 4–3 Aaron Collins Matt Fornadel Mike McQueary Phil Ostrowski Beaver Stadium Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy Florida Citrus Bowl L 6–21 vs. Florida 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. Schedule 1997 AP Eastern September 6 3:30 p.m. w y 1 Pittsburgh Beaver Stadium University Park, PA rivalry ABC 34–17 97,115 September 13 1:00 p.m. w y 1 Temple Beaver Stadium University Park, PA 52–10 96,735 September 20 12:00 p.m. w y y 1 Louisville Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY CBS 57–21 39,826 October 4 12:30 p.m. w y 2 Illinois Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL ESPN2 41–6 51,523 October 11 3:30 p.m. w 2 Ohio State 7 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA rivalry ABC 31–27 97,282 October 18 12:00 p.m. w y 1 Minnesota Beaver Stadium University Park, PA Governor's Victory Bell ESPN Plus 16–15 96,953 November 1 12:30 p.m. w y 2 Northwestern Ryan Field Evanston, IL ESPN 30–27 47,129 November 8 3:30 p.m. l 2 Michigan 4 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA rivalry ABC 8–34 97,498 November 15 12:00 p.m. w y 6 Purdue 19 Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN ESPN 42–17 52,156 November 22 3:30 p.m. w 6 Wisconsin 24 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ABC 35–10 96,934 November 29 1:00 p.m. l y 4 Michigan State Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI rivalry ABC 14–49 73,623 January 1, 1998 Thursday 1:00 p.m. l y y 11 Florida 6 Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl ABC 6–21 72,940 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-leader-somber-ending-senior-n/152119722/ The Times Leader Somber ending; Senior Nittany Lions melancholy after loss to Florida January 2, 1998 July 27, 2024 Newspapers.com Rankings 1997 NCAA Division I-A football rankings AP 0 17 1 (21) 1 (22) 1 (23) 1 (22) 1 (25) 2 (28) 2 (25) 2 (26) 1 (51) 2 (26) 2 (25) 2 (16) 6 6 4 12 11 16 Coaches 0 17 2 (9) 2 (13) 2 (12) 2 (14) 2 (14) 2 (13) 2 (11) 1 (51) 2 (29) 2 (20) 3 (8) 6 6 4 12 12 17 Roster 1997 Penn State Nittany Lions f 39 Jr Curtis Enis RB y 2 So Chafie Fields WR y 83 Sr Joe Jurevicius WR y 9 Sr Mike McQueary QB y 64 Sr Phil Ostrowski G y 16 So Kevin Thompson Kevin Thompson (American football) QB y 69 Jr Floyd Wedderburn G y 11 Fr LaVar Arrington LB y 86 So Courtney Brown Courtney Brown (defensive end) DE y 17 Jr Brad Johnson CB 4 So Derek Fox SS 44 Sr Jim Nelson Jim Nelson (American football) LB y 27 So David Macklin CB y 5 Jr Brad Scioli DE y 43 So Brandon Short LB y 41 So Pat Pidgeon P http://www.nittanyanthology.com/97roster.doc *Joe Paterno NFL draft Three Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1998 NFL draft. 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 References Penn State Category:Penn State Nittany Lions football seasons Category:Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy seasons Penn State Nittany Lions football