Penn State’s Greatest Seasons: 1978

In 1978 the Penn State Nittany Lions posted an undefeated regular season, but came up just short of a national title

After three undefeated seasons and no national championships, at least in the pollsters eyes, Penn State football was hungry. After an 11-1 team in 1977, coach Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions had a real good chance to finally bring a coveted national title back to Happy Valley.

The team was led on offense by quarterback Chuck Fusina, who would finish the season with 1,859 yards passing and 11 touchdowns. He would go on to win the Maxwell award. Running back Matt Suhey led the team in rushing with 720 yards on 184 attempts and 7 touchdowns.

The defense featured a front four anchored by Matt Millen and Bruce Clark, who would go on to win the Lombardi award. The defensive unit would finish number one in scoring defense. On special teams the Lions had one of the best kickers in the nation, All-American Matt Bahr.

The schedule was filled with traditional eastern foes like Temple, Maryland, Syracuse and Pitt, along with a visit to Columbus to take on Ohio State. Remember that this was a time of Penn State’s independence, so a match up with the Buckeyes was not an annual affair like it is now.

The fifth-ranked Lions would end up shutting out the sixth ranked Buckeyes 19-0 on national television. Penn State would post two more shutouts in subsequent weeks, cruising along until a match up with the fifth ranked Maryland Terrapins in early November. The Lions walloped the Terps 27-3 and the following week, after a win against NC State, became the No. 1 team in the nation after then No. 1 Oklahoma lost to Nebraska. (Video courtesy of LBU videos)

Being ranked number one was a first for the Nittany Lions but it was nearly short lived.

They concluded the season with a visit from No. 15 Pitt and trailed late in that game 10-7. But the Lions found a way, beating the Panthers 17-10 and hanging onto the number one ranking. Finally after all these years, Penn State would have a chance to win a national championship on the field.

A bitter defeat in the Big Easy

Penn State traveled to New Orleans to face the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by the legendary Bear Bryant, in the Sugar Bowl.

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The big key in the game was the Lion defense versus the Tide offense. As predicted, the game was a defensive struggle, with neither team finding much footing offensively.

Alabama would eventually score first and take the 7-0 lead into halftime. Finally in the third quarter Penn State would breakthrough and tie the game at 7. However late in the third quarter the Tide would score a touchdown making it 14-7.

With the score the same and about 8 minutes to go, Penn State got a huge break recovering a fumble deep in Alabama territory. Now with a chance for at least a tie, the Lions were knocking on the door step. (Video courtesy of Crimson Tide Zone)

The game was not over after the goal line stand though. Penn State would get one more chance with a little over a minute to go, but it was not to be.

Next: Saquon Barkley's Fantastic Rose Bowl

This was Penn State’s best chance to date to win a national title and they fell short. The loss would sting for a long time, especially for Paterno. Despite the bitter end, the season was still a great one for the Lions. It should be remembered as one of the best.

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