The 2005 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head coach was

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2 ...

. It played its home games at

Beaver Stadium Beaver Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium on the campus of Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania. It has been home to the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference since 1960, though some parts of ...

University Park, Pennsylvania University Park (also referred to as Penn State University Park) is the name given to the Pennsylvania State University's main campus located in both State College and College Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus post office was ...

Previous season

The Nittany Lions were coming off of back-to-back losing seasons, finishing 3–9 in 2003 and 4–7 in 2004, capping a stretch from late 1999 where Minnesota upset the #2 Nittany Lions with a late field goal until the goal line stand at Indiana that featured four of five seasons being losing seasons and the lone winning season in 2002 featuring many frustrating close losses. This stretch was called "The Dark Years", sometimes including 2002 as well. The team finished the 2004 season with wins over

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

and

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

, which helped springboard momentum into the 2005 season that gave many optimism for the 2005 Nittany Lions.

Preseason

The team returned 18 starters from last year's squad. Eight starters returned on offense, led by starting quarterback Michael Robinson who has also played at wide receiver, tailback, and punt returner during his first three years at Penn State. Robinson played exclusively under center after the graduation of Zack Mills. Nine defensive starters return from a unit did not allow more than 21 points in a game in 2004. Also returning was safety Chris Harrell who suffered a neck injury in 2003 and missed the 2004 season. Michael Robinson,

Alan Zemaitis Alan Zemaitis (born August 24, 1982) is a former professional American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 4th round (#122 overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the ...

, and Paul Posluszny were elected tri-captains of the football team in 2005. Posluszny was the first junior captain since 1968. Penn State started the season unranked in both the AP and the

Coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

college football preseason polls.

Recruiting class

Pre-season awards

*: Second-team ''

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n *: Third-team ''Street & Smith's''

n *: First-team ''

'' All-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

Schedule

Penn State did not play Big Ten teams

and

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

this year.

Personnel

Roster

Coaching staff

– Head Coach * Dick Anderson – Offensive Line (Guards and Centers) * Tom Bradley – Defensive Coordinator and Cornerbacks *

Galen Hall Galen Samuel Hall (born August 14, 1940) is a retired American college and professional football coach and player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football. Hall was previously t ...

– Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs * Larry Johnson, Sr. – Defensive Line *

Bill Kenney William Patrick Kenney (born January 20, 1955) is an American former quarterback who spent nine years in the National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1980 to 1988 and a former politician who spent 8 years as a Missouri State S ...

– Offensive Tackles and Tight Ends *

Mike McQueary Michael Jacob McQueary (born October 10, 1974) is a former American football assistant coach for the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) under head coach Joe Paterno until late in the 2011 football season. McQueary was identified as a ke ...

– Wide Receivers and Recruiting Coordinator * Brian Norwood – Safeties * Jay Paterno – Quarterbacks *

Ron Vanderlinden Ron Vanderlinden is a retired American college football coach. Vanderlinden was most recently the linebackers coach at Air Force. He served as the head football coach at the University of Maryland, College Park from 1997 to 2000. Vanderlinden is ...

– Linebackers * John Thomas – Strength and Conditioning

Game summaries

September 3: South Florida

Penn State opened the season by defeating the

Bulls Bulls may refer to: *The plural of bull, an adult male bovine *Bulls, New Zealand, a small town in the Rangitikei District Sports *Bucking bull, used in the sport of bull riding * Bulls (rugby union), a South African rugby union franchise operated ...

23–13. In his debut as a full-time starter at quarterback, Michael Robinson struggled, finishing 9 of 15 for 90 yards and an interception that set up the Bulls' first touchdown. Robinson also ran for 39 yards on 18 carries but was sacked three times and lost two fumbles. Tony Hunt finished with a career-high 140 yards on 15 carries.

scored the Lions' first touchdown of the year on a fumble recovery. The Nittany Lions also tried to show off two highly touted freshmen. Justin King, who played both ways in the game, made his first contribution with a 61-yard run on a reverse. Derrick Williams finished with 38 yards on three catches. Punter Jeremy Kapinos landed three punts inside the 11 and was named the

Special Teams Player of the Week.

September 10: Cincinnati

Michael Robinson went bombs away to the Lions' speedy freshmen as Penn State defeated the Bearcats 42–24. The offense struggled in the first half, but Robinson hooked up with Justin King for a 59-yard touchdown in the third quarter, followed by a 41-yard bomb to Derrick Williams on the next possession. In the fourth quarter, Deon Butler hooked up with Robinson for a 45-yard touchdown. Robinson finished 11 of 17 for 220 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Penn State's backup quarterback, sophomore

Anthony Morelli Anthony Michael Morelli (born June 21, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Penn State. Morelli was a member of the San Jose Sab ...

, made his season debut, finishing 4 of 5 passes and scoring the Lions' final touchdown on a 1-yard keeper.

September 17: Central Michigan

Penn State displayed an aerial attack rarely seen in Beaver Stadium as the Lions defense held the Chippewas to only 172 total yards for a 40–3 win. Michael Robinson finished 14 of 23 for 274 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Two of those touchdowns were to Deon Butler in the second quarter for 54 and 24 yards. Terrell Golden caught the third touchdown, a 47 yarder in the third quarter. Robinson was pulled halfway through the third quarter for backup

, who finished 8 of 13 for 107 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown to

Ethan Kilmer Ethan Michael Kilmer (born January 31, 1983) is a former American football safety of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn ...

September 24: Northwestern

Michael Robinson led a come-from-behind 34–29 win against the Wildcats, but in the first half Robinson threw three interceptions and lost a fumble to dig a deep hole for the Lions. But the offense recovered in the second half and outscored the Wildcats 17–6 in the fourth quarter to escape with the win. The defining drive came with two minutes left, trailing by two points. On a fourth-and-15, Robinson threw a 20-yard strike to tight end Isaac Smolko. Five plays later, Robinson lobbed a 36-yard pass to Derrick Williams who caught the ball, ducked to avoid a defender, and dashed into the end zone. Anwar Phillips picked off Northwestern's

Brett Basanez Brett Stephen Basanez (born May 11, 1983) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Northwestern. Basanez was also a member of the Chicago ...

to seal the win. Williams' touchdown reception from Robinson was selected as the

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

Game Changing Performance of the week. Linebacker Paul Posluszny recorded a career-high 22 tackles, the most by a Penn State player since 1977, and was named the

Defensive Player of the Week.

October 1: Minnesota

Penn State went to the power running game and tallied 364 yards on the ground en route to a 44–14 thumping of the Golden Gophers. Tony Hunt ran for 114 yards, and Michael Robinson ran for 112 yards, his first 100-yard rushing game, including a hard hit on Gophers safety Brandon Owens. Robinson never went down, but Owens was knocked out and needed help off the field, ending his football career with uprooted nerves in his spinal column. Hunt and Derrick Williams each scored two rushing touchdowns. The defense held the Gophers to just 287 total yards and 13 first downs. (In contrast, Penn State had 35 first downs.) Minnesota tailback Laurence Maroney entered the game as the nation's leader in rushing yards and all-purpose yards, rushing for at least 100 yards in the last six games, and was considered by some to be the frontrunner for the

Heisman The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

. The Lions' defense held Maroney to only 46 yards on 16 carries. After recording nine tackles, Paul Posluszny was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week as well as the

Co-Defensive Player of the Week.

October 8: Ohio State

Penn State defeated the Buckeyes 17–10 in front of 109,839 fans, during a student White Out, at the time the second-largest

crowd (topped later the same season by the home game versus Wisconsin). Michael Robinson threw for 78 yards and carried the ball 14 times for 52 yards and a touchdown.

Calvin Lowry Calvin Sinclair Lowry (born February 13, 1983) is an American football coach and former player. Early years Lowry starred at wide receiver and defensive back at Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Playing career He played ...

intercepted Ohio State QB Troy Smith and returned the ball to the 2-yard line, setting up Robinson's touchdown. Ohio State, needing to score a game-tying touchdown, began their final possession on their own 11-yard line with under 4 minutes to play. After moving the ball into Penn State territory,

Tamba Hali Tamba Boimah Hali (born 3 November 1983) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), where he earned All-American honors, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the ...

sacked Smith at midfield, forcing a fumble recovered by Scott Paxson and allowing the Nittany Lions to run out the clock. Led by Paul Posluszny who had 14 tackles and a sack in the game, the Penn State defense held the Buckeyes to only 230 total yards. Posluszny was named the

Co-Defensive Player of the Week, the first time that a Big Ten player has been named in three consecutive weeks. The team was named the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week by the

Football Writers Association of America The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...

. The game was

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

's second largest audience for a regular season college football game. That morning's ESPN's '' College Gameday'', which broadcast from University Park for the first time since 1999, was the most-viewed edition of that program in its history.

October 15: Michigan

The

Wolverines The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscu ...

defeated the Nittany Lions 27–25 on the game's final play to hand Penn State its first and only loss of the season. It would cap a wild fourth quarter where the two teams would combine for 39 points and four lead changes. Down 10–3 in the fourth, the Lions would quickly strike twice, the first would be a Michael Robinson two yard keeper set up by a Tony Hunt 61-yard run. On the Wolverines next drive,

would strip Michigan quarterback

Chad Henne Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan. While there, Henne became only the second true freshman st ...

during the tackle and returned it 35 yards for the score. Kicker Kevin Kelly would put Penn State up 18–10 after a picking up a bad snap on the

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

and running it in for the

two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...

. Michigan would score on its next two drives to go up 21–18, but the defense would get the ball back to Robinson, who would put together an 81-yard drive, including a 4th down and 7 yard conversion, and score on a 3-yard keeper with :53 left to give the Lions a 25–21 lead. However, the game would come down to seconds. Michigan's final drive, fueled by a

Steve Breaston Steven William Breaston (born August 20, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan. Breaston also played for the K ...

kick return to midfield, started with an apparent interception that was later reviewed to be out of bounds. The Wolverines called timeout after a Henne pass completion with the clock stopped at :28. Michigan head coach

Lloyd Carr Lloyd Henry Carr Jr. (born July 30, 1945) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season. Under Carr, the Michigan Wolverines compiled a record ...

called the officials over, and after a protest by Carr and a long conference, the officials reset the game clock to 0:30. Those extra two seconds would turn out to impact the outcome of the game. Six plays later, with 0:01 on the clock, Michigan would score the game-winning touchdown on a Henne pass to

Mario Manningham Mario Cashmere Manningham (born May 25, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. After receiving few opportunities in his rookie year, Manningham caught ...

. Derrick Williams was lost for the rest of the season when he broke his left arm when tackled on a kickoff return late in the game.

October 22: Illinois

Penn State scored touchdowns on its first four possessions en route to a 63–10 rout of the

Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic facil ...

. The Illini scored an early field goal, but would never regain the lead. Michael Robinson led the charge with four touchdown passes on his first six completions, connecting with

, Patrick Hall, and twice with Deon Butler. Robinson would rush for two more in the second quarter before sitting out the rest of the game. In the second half,

quarterbacked a more conservative offense, attempting only two passes and constantly handing off to Austin Scott who had 57 rushing yards. Very late in the fourth quarter, the Illini scored their only touchdown of the game, to make the final score 63–11. The defense did their share of scoring too. In the second quarter, Tim Shaw hit Illini quarterback Tim Brasic and forced a fumble, picked up by Dan Connor who ran it in 18 yards for the touchdown. In the third quarter, Nolan McCready, from Wyomissing, Pa, would return an interception 77 yards for the final Lions touchdown. For his six touchdown performance, Robinson was named the

Offensive Player of the Week. Robinson's six touchdowns ties a school record set in 1917, and his career-high four touchdown passes ties an 88-year-old school record. The Nittany Lions' 56 first-half points broke the school record of 55 set in 1947.

October 29: Purdue

Special teams stood out as Penn State defeated the Boilermakers 33–15.

had six special teams tackles and a forced fumble that led to a field goal. Kevin Kelly was four for four on field goals. Rodney Kinlaw would return a kickoff 58 yards that set up a touchdown. Michael Robinson would finish 13 of 29 for 213 yards passing and rushed for 96 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Tony Hunt would gain 129 yards on 24 carries, his fourth 100-yard rushing game this season. Fullback BranDon Snow would score his first two career touchdowns on runs of 2 and 4 yards.

November 5: Wisconsin

On senior day with the Big Ten title on the line in front of the season's second student White Out, Penn State cruised to a convincing 35–14 win over the

Badgers Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by the ...

behind the strong performance of both the offense and defense. The Lions struck first with a 43-yard pass from Michael Robinson to Deon Butler on the first drive. Butler would finish with five catches for 125 yards. Robinson finished 13 of 28 for 238 yards, two interceptions and two touchdowns, both to Butler, and also rush for 125 yards on 16 carries. Tony Hunt rushed for 151 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns. Wisconsin tailback

Brian Calhoun Brian Calhoun (born May 8, 1984) is a former gridiron football running back. He also was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin. He is coaching high school track and fiel ...

, a

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

candidate, entered the game ranked fifth nationally in all-purpose yardage and rushing yardage and led the nation with 21 touchdowns. However, the defense limited Calhoun to only 38 yard rushing. The Lions defense was also constantly in the Badgers backfield, tallying nine sacks, four by

who also had nine tackles. Wisconsin's net rushing yardage was minus-11 yards.

and

each intercepted the Badgers once. Hali was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and the

Defensive Player of the Week. He was also named Player of the Week by ''

'', ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...

'' and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

''.

November 19: Michigan State

's College Gameday broadcast from East Lansing, covering a Penn State game for the second time this season. The Lions captured the Big Ten title and a BCS bowl berth with a 31–22 win over the

Spartans Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

intercepted Spartans quarterback

Drew Stanton Drew may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places ;In the United States * Drew, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Drew, Mississippi, a city * Drew, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Drew, Oregon, an unincorporated community * Drew County, Arkansas ...

three times and also tallied seven tackles.

Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair. It wen ...

Donnie Johnson also had an interception to preserve a 17–0 Lions lead at the half. Johnson's biggest play however may be a blocked punt earlier in the second quarter that was recovered by backup fullback Matt Hahn in the end zone, his first career touchdown. Michael Robinson finished 10 of 20 for 105 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 90 yards on 13 carries, including a 33-yard touchdown run, the longest rushing touchdown of his career. Tony Hunt finished with 89 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown, pushing him past 1,000 yards rushing this season. Zemaitis was named Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and the

Defensive Player of the Week. Johnson was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week.

January 3: 2006 Orange Bowl – Florida State

It was nearly 1:00 a.m. local time as Kevin Kelly kicked the game-winning field goal to end the triple overtime thriller 26–23 against the

Seminoles The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and ...

. It was Kelly's third attempt to win the game, after missing at the end of regulation and in the first overtime. The teams traded touchdowns in the second overtime, and Florida State kicker Gary Cismesia missed in the first and third overtimes. Austin Scott led the Penn State rushing attack, filling in for an injured Tony Hunt who left the game on the first possession. Scott finished with 26 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Robinson was 21 of 39 for 253 yards passing, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to

, who made an acrobatic catch in the end zone over the back of a Seminoles defender at the end of the first half. Penn State's receivers also posted a number of career highs. Kilmer set career highs with six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Norwood had career highs with six receptions for 110 yards, and Justin King made a career-high five receptions for 27 yards. Paul Posluszny injured his knee in the fourth quarter while attempting to leap over a blocker, causing partial tears of his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL). The injury would not require surgery but needed six to eight weeks to rehabilitate.

Rankings

Awards

Watchlists

* Dan Connor *:

Chuck Bednarik Award The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and professional Ameri ...

watchlist *

Ted Hendricks Award The Ted Hendricks Award is given annually to college football's top defensive end. The award is named after Ted Hendricks, a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is presented by his own foundation. I ...

finalist *:

Bronko Nagurski Trophy The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football defensive player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) to be the best in the National Collegiate Athl ...

finalist * Tony Hunt *:

Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best al ...

watchlist * Jeremy Kapinos *:

Ray Guy Award The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding punter as adjudged by the Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, an All-American for Southern Mississippi and an All-Pro All-Pro is an ho ...

watchlist *

*: AFCA Coach of the Year finalist *:

Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year The Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award is given annually to a college football coach by the Football Writers Association of America The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members i ...

finalist *:

George Munger Award The George Munger Award is presented to the NCAA Division I college football coach of the year by the Maxwell Football Club. The award was named after former University of Pennsylvania head coach George Munger. People who voted for the winners o ...

semifinalist and finalist * Paul Posluszny *:

watchlist *:

watchlist, semifinalist and finalist *:

Dick Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

watchlist, semifinalist and finalist *:

Lombardi Award The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lomba ...

semifinalist and finalist * Michael Robinson *:

watchlist *:

Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National C ...

semifinalist *:

Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's top upperclassmen quarterback in college football. Candidates are judged on accomplishments on the field as well as on their character, scholastic achievemen ...

watchlist *

watchlist *:

Jim Thorpe Award The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986. It is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, the award became sponsored by Payco ...

watchlist and semifinalist

Players

Jay Alford Jason Jamaal Alford (born May 28, 1983) is a former American football defensive tackle. He most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played colleg ...

*: ESPN.com All-Bowl Team *: Second-team All-

(conference media selection) * Levi Brown *: First-team All-

(conference coaches selection) *: Second-team

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

n *

*: AFCA

n *: First-team

n *: First-team ''

n *: First-team Walter Camp

n *:

Defensive Lineman of the Year *: First-team All-

FWAA The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media ou ...

n *: ''

'' mid-season

n *: Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week (November 5) *:

Defensive Player of the Week (November 5) *: ''

'' National Player of the Week (November 5) *: ''

'' Player of the Week (November 5) * Tony Hunt *: Second-team All-

(conference coaches selection) * Donnie Johnson *:

Special Teams Player of the Week (November 19) * Jeremy Kapinos *:

Special Teams Player of the Week (September 3) *

*: First-team All-

(conference coaches selection) * Nolan McCready *: ''

ESPN The Magazine ''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year ...

'' CoSIDA Academic All-District * Scott Paxson *: First-team All-

(conference coaches selection) * Paul Posluszny *: 2005 Bednarik Award winner *: 2005

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

winner *: First-team ''

'' CoSIDA Academic

n *: First-team

n *: First-team ''

n *: First-team Walter Camp

n *: First-team All-

n *: ''

'' CoSIDA Academic All-District *:

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...

mid-season

n *: ''

College Football News ''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includ ...

'' mid-season

n *: ''

'' mid-season

n *: Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week (October 1) *:

Defensive Player of the Week (September 24) *:

Defensive Player of the Week (October 1) *:

Defensive Player of the Week (October 8) * Matthew Rice *: Second-team All-

(conference media selection) * Michael Robinson *:

Offensive Player of the Year (conference coaches selection) *:

Chicago Tribune Silver Football The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the '' Chicago Tribune'' to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinoi ...

Award winner *: Second-team All-

Offensive Player of the Week (October 22) * Derrick Williams *:

Game Changing Performance (September 24) *

*: Second-team

n *: Second-team Walter Camp

n *: Second-team ''

n *: First-team All-

*: Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week (November 19) *:

Defensive Player of the Week (November 19)

Coaches

*: AFCA Coach of the Year *:

Coach of the Year *: Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year *:

Home Depot The Home Depot, Inc., is an American multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportation rentals. Home Depot is the largest home improvement re ...

Coach of the Year *: ''

'' College Football Coach of the Year *: Walter Camp Coach of the Year *:

winner *: Dave McClain

Coach of the Year

Other awards

:2005 Lambert Trophy winner :

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week (October 8)

Post season

Penn State finished the season ranked number 3 in both the final AP and

college football polls, earning Penn State its 13th Top 5 finish under Joe Paterno. The team's unexpected success helped Penn State finish in the top four in football attendance for the 15th consecutive year, averaging 104,859 for seven home games. Three crowds topped 109,000: 109,865 vs. Wisconsin, 109,839 vs. Ohio State, and 109,467 vs. Purdue, ranking two through four as the largest crowds ever at Beaver Stadium. Penn State finished the season with a sellout crowd of 77,773 at the FedEx Orange Bowl. Instead of declaring early for the NFL draft, Levi Brown and Paul Posluszny both announced their intentions to return for their senior season.

NFL draft

Six seniors would go on and be drafted in the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...

All-star games

References

{{Big Ten Conference football champions Penn State Penn State Nittany Lions football seasons Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy seasons Orange Bowl champion seasons

Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions team represents the Pennsylvania State University in college football. The Nittany Lions compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference, which they joined in 1993 a ...