1996 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

American college football season January 2025 February 2026 1996 Penn State Nittany Lions football Penn State text logo.svg 250 Big Ten Conference Big Ten 7 7 11–2 6–2 Joe Paterno 31st Fran Ganter 13th Pro-style Jerry Sandusky 20th 4–3 Kim Herring Brandon Noble Wally Richardson Barry Tielsch Beaver Stadium Lambert-Meadowlands TrophyFiesta Bowl champion Fiesta Bowl W 38–15 vs. Texas The 1996 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 31st-year head coach Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions compiled an overall record of 11–2 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, tying for third place in the Big Ten. Penn State was invited to the Fiesta Bowl, where the Nittany Lions defeated Texas. The team played home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Schedule 1996 AP Eastern August 25 Sunday 2:00 p.m. w y y 11 USC 7 Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ Kickoff Classic ABC 24–7 77,716 September 7 3:30 p.m. w y 7 Louisville Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ABC 24–7 95,670 September 14 12:00 p.m. w y 6 Northern Illinois Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ESPN Plus 49–0 95,589 September 21 12:00 p.m. w y y 5 Temple Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ ESPN Plus 41–0 24,847 September 28 3:30 p.m. w y 3 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI ABC 23–20 79,607 October 5 3:30 p.m. l y 4 Ohio State 3 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH rivalry, College GameDay ABC 7–38 94,241 October 12 12:30 p.m. w y 10 Purdue Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ESPN 31–14 96,653 October 19 12:30 p.m. l 10 Iowa Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ESPN2 20–21 96,230 October 26 12:30 p.m. w y 17 Indiana Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN ESPN 48–26 37,354 November 2 3:30 p.m. w 15 Northwestern 11 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ABC 34–9 96,596 November 16 12:00 p.m. w y 11 Michigan 16 Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI rivalry ABC 29–17 105,898 November 23 3:30 p.m. w 7 Michigan State Beaver Stadium University Park, PA rivalry ABC 32–29 96,263 January 1, 1997 Wednesday 8:00 p.m. w y y 7 Texas 20 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ Fiesta Bowl CBS 38–15 65,106 Roster 1996 Penn State Nittany Lions f 78 Fr John Blick T 11 Sr Chris Campbell WR 53 Fr Jim Dudley OL 39 So Curtis Enis RB y 83 Jr Joe Jurevicius WR y 9 Jr Mike McQueary QB y 64 Jr Phil Ostrowski G y 14 Sr Wally Richardson QB y 16 Fr Kevin Thompson Kevin Thompson (American football) QB y 6 Jr Aaron Collins LB 3 Sr Kim Herring S y 4 Fr Derek Fox SS 44 Jr Jim Nelson Jim Nelson (American football) LB y 27 Fr David Macklin CB y 98 Jr Matt Rhule LB y 45 Fr Jon Sandusky DB y 5 So Brad Scioli DE y 43 Fr Brandon Short LB y 91 Jr Chris Snyder Chris Snyder (American football) DE y 20 Sr Brett Conway K y 28 Sr Darrell Kania P http://www.nittanyanthology.com/96roster.doc *Joe Paterno NFL draft Three Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1997 NFL draft. Round Pick Overall Name Position Team 2nd 28 58 Kim Herring Free safety Baltimore Ravens 3rd 30 90 Brett Conway Placekicker Green Bay Packers 7th 33 234 Wally Richardson Quarterback Baltimore Ravens References Penn State Category:Penn State Nittany Lions football seasons Category:Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy seasons Category:Fiesta Bowl champion seasons Penn State Nittany Lions football