Contents

2003 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

2003 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	3–9 (1–7 Big Ten)
Head coach	Joe Paterno (38th season)
Offensive coordinator	Fran Ganter (20th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Tom Bradley (4th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Beaver Stadium
Seasons ← 2002 2004 →

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 StadiuminUniversity Park, Pennsylvania.

Preseason[edit]

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[edit]

UScollege sports recruiting information for recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Terrell Golden WR	Norfolk, Virginia	Lake Taylor HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.60	Dec 17, 2002
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Joel Holler OL	Lancaster, Pennsylvania	McCaskey Hs-Lev II	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	335 lb (152 kg)	5.40	Dec 18, 2002
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Tony Hunt RB	Alexandria, Virginia	T. C. Williams HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	222 lb (101 kg)	4.52	Feb 4, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Jonathan Jackson WR	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	West Philadelphia Catholic HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.45	Jan 24, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Rodney Kinlaw RB	Goose Creek, South Carolina	Stratford HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.35	Jan 31, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Dan Mazan OL	Carteret, New Jersey	Carteret HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	305 lb (138 kg)	4.90	Dec 3, 2002
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Paul Posluszny LB	Aliquippa, Pennsylvania	Hopewell SHS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.62	Aug 5, 2002
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Amani Purcell DE	Pago Pago, AS	Leone HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	4.50	Feb 3, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Austin Scott RB	Allentown, Pennsylvania	Parkland SHS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.40	Sep 11, 2002
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
John Shaw DT	Spring Grove, Pennsylvania	Spring Grove Area SHS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	4.87	Jul 1, 2002
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Brent Wise WR	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	Central Dauphin SHS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.40	Jan 19, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 50   Rivals: 93
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Penn State Commit List for 2003". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 9, 2007. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Penn State". Scout.com. Retrieved February 9, 2007. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 9, 2007. "2003 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 9, 2007.

Schedule[edit]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	3:30 p.m.	Temple*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN Plus	W 23–10	101,553
September 6	12:00 p.m.	Boston College*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ABC	L 14–27	106,445
September 13	8:00 p.m.	at No. 18Nebraska*	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	ABC	L 10–18	78,008
September 20	1:00 p.m.	Kent State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN.com	W 32–10	102,078
September 27	12:00 p.m.	No. 24Minnesota	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (Governor's Victory Bell)	ESPN	L 14–20	106,735
October 4	12:00 p.m.	Wisconsin	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN Plus	L 23–30	107,851
October 11	3:30 p.m.	at No. 18Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	ABC	L 14–28	59,720
October 25	12:00 p.m.	at No. 16Iowa	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ABC	L 14–26	70,397
November 1	3:30 p.m.	No. 8Ohio State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 20–21	108,276
November 8	12:00 p.m.	atNorthwestern	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ESPN2	L 7–17	26,188
November 15	12:00 p.m.	Indiana	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN Plus	W 52–7	106,465
November 22	12:00 p.m.	atMichigan State	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	ESPN	L 10–41	72,119
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Roster[edit]

2003 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Terrell Golden Fr QB 3 Chris Ganter  So WR 6 Donnie Johnson  Fr QB 7 Zack Mills Jr RB 8 Rodney Kinlaw Fr WR 9 Terrance Phillips  So WR 11 Tony Johnson Sr QB 12 Michael Robinson So WR 13 Kinta Palmer  So QB 14 Andy Kubic  Fr WR 15 Mike Baird  So WR 15 Brent Wise Fr WR 16 Dan Corrado Fr QB 19 Tom Lundquist  So WR 19 Gerald Smith  Jr RB 22 Austin Scott Fr RB 23 Aric Heffelfinger  Fr RB 24 Tony Hunt Fr WR 26 Josh Hannum  Fr RB 28 Chris Wilson  Fr FB 30 BranDon Snow  Fr WR 31 Ernie Terrell  So RB 32 Mike Gasparato  Jr TE 33 Mike Lukac  Sr FB 36 Brian Fairchild  So FB 42 Sean McHugh  Sr RB 42 Ricky Upton  Sr FB 45 Adam Senk  So OL 52 Blase Iorio Fr G 53 Steve Roach  Fr G 54 Scott Davis  Jr OL 57 Nick Albano Fr G 59 Charles Rush  So OL 60 Patick Weber Fr C 61 David Costlow  Sr OL 62 Nick Daise  Fr OL 63 Dan Mazan Fr OL 64 Chad Albright Fr G 65 Robert Price  Fr C 66 Lance Antolick  So OT 67 Levi Brown  Fr OT 68 John Wilson  So C 70 Nick Marmo  Jr G 71 Mark Farris  Fr OT 72 Lee Lispi Fr OL 73 Joel Holler Fr G 74 Tyler Reed  So OT 75 Chris McKelvy Sr OT 76 Damone Jones Sr OT 79 Chris Auletta Fr WR 80 Scott Shirley  Sr TE 81 Isaac Smolko  So WR 81 Jason Stryker  Jr WR 82 Vic Surma  Fr WR 83 Ryan Scott  Jr WR 84 Jamal Huff  So WR 84 Brandan Perretta Fr TE 88 Matt Kranchick  Sr TE 89 Andrew Richardson  So TE 93 Casey Williams  Sr TE 98 Mike Pawlikowski  Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 1 Anwar Phillips  So LB 2 Deryck Toles Sr DB 4 Jason Ganter Fr CB 5 Maurice Humphrey  Fr S 10 Calvin Lowry  So LB 13 Kevin Darling  Fr S 14 Jim Kanuch  Fr S 15 Yaacov Yisrael Sr LB 16 Andy Ryland Sr DE 17 Lavon Chisley  So S 18 Andrew Guman  Jr DB 20 Marcus Mills  So LB 20 Tim Shaw So CB 21 Alan Zemaitis So CB 22 Darien Hardy Fr DB 23 Matt Fontana Fr CB 24 Nolan McCready  Fr CB 25 Rich Gardner Sr S 26 Vince Gliatta Fr S 27 Chris Harrell Jr S 29 Paul Cronin  So CB 34 Gio Vendemia  So DB 35 John Royse  So LB 35 J.R. Zwierzynski  Fr LB 38 Jimi Mitchell Jr LB 39 Paul Posluszny Fr LB 40 T.C. Cosby Jr DT 41 Scott Paxson  So DB 43 Adam Taliaferro Sr LB 45 Pat Bedics Fr DB 46 Curt Reese  So LB 47 Gino Capone Sr LB 48 Matt Pavelic Fr LB 49 Dorian Burton  So DL 50 Jamel Felder Fr LB 51 Tim Johnson  Jr DE 54 Amani Purcell Fr DE 55 Matthew Rice  So LB 58 Brian Smith  Fr DL 67 Richard Cheek Fr DT 69 Jason Robinson  Jr DT 75 Lee Kuzemchak Fr DT 85 Jay Alford  Fr DE 86 Jeremiah Davis Jr DE 87 John Bronson  Jr DT 91 Tamba Hali  So DT 92 Ed Johnson  Fr LB 94 Derek Wake (C)  Jr DL 95 Mike Sothern Fr DE 96 Patrick Hall  Fr DE 97 Greg Bauer So DT 98 John Shaw Fr LB 99 Sam Ruhe Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 4 Robbie Gould  Jr P 36 Jeremy Kapinos  Fr K 48 Nate Weltman Fr P 49 Brandon Ream Fr K 95 David Kimball Sr	Head coach Joe Paterno Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: October 29, 2003

Game summaries[edit]

Temple[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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.

Wisconsin[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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.

Northwestern[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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.

Awards[edit]

Watchlists[edit]

Players[edit]

Post season[edit]

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.^[7]

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[edit]

Four Nittany Lions were drafted in the 2004 NFL draft.

All-star games[edit]

See also[edit]

• Uplifting Athletes

References[edit]