// This is the single game page 1983 Nebraska-Penn State football | HuskerMax game page

Nebraska 44
Penn State 6

Aug. 29, 1983
Kickoff Classic • East Rutherford, NJ • Katz
1st 2nd 3rd 4th  F 
Penn State 0 0 0 6 6
Nebraska 14 7 9 12 44 
First Quarter
NU - Turner Gill 1 run (Dave Schneider kick) 4:54
NU - Monte Engebritson 19 pass from Gill (Schneider kick) 0:00
Second Quarter
NU - Todd Frain 20 pass from Nate Mason (Schneider kick) 4:23
Third Quarter
NU - Mike Knox 27 interception return (kick failed) 10:46
NU - FG Schneider 34, 3:03
Fourth Quarter
NU - Mason 21 run (Schneider kick) 11:51
NU - Paul Miles 1 run (Schneider kick) 2:06
PS - Sid Lewis 35 pass from Dan Lonergan (kick blocked) 0:20

Attendance: 71,123.

                         PSU        NU 
First downs               15        23 
Rushes-yards           33-82    57-322 
Passing yards            227       178 
Return yards               7        59 
Passes               13-39-1   12-17-1 
Sacks by                 0-0       0-0 
Punts                   8-47      4-40 
Fumbles-lost             5-1       9-1 
Penalties-yards         6-29      8-77 
Time of possession     24:45     35:15

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing
 Penn State, Jon Williams 13-42, Tony Mumford 5-15. 
 Nebraska, Mike Rozier 16-71, Gill 13-53, Mark Schellen 4-42, Miles 6-39, Mason 6-32.
Passing
 Penn State, Lonergan 11-29-0-205, Doug Strang, 2-10-1-22. 
 Nebraska, Gill 11-14-0-158, Mason 1-2-0-20.
Receiving
 Penn State, Kenny Jackson 4-54, Kevin Baugh 3-39, Tim Robinson 2-63, Lewis 2-48. 
 Nebraska, Irving Fryar 4-81, Engebritson 3-28.
Missed field goals
 None.

Coverage

Rozier SI cover

Nittany Lions no match for Huskers

The inaugural Kickoff Classic turned out to be anything but a classic as pre-season No. 1-ranked Nebraska romped over defending national champion Penn State, 44-6, avenging the Huskers’ only loss in a 12-1 season in 1982.

The Huskers scored on two of their first three possessions to grab a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and went on to lead 44-0 late in the game before the Nittany Lions scored on a 35-yard pass from Dan Lonergan to Sid Lewis with just 20 seconds left on the clock—narrowly averting Penn State’s first shutout loss since losing to Oklahoma, 14-0, in the 1972 Sugar Bowl.

The final margin equaled the worst defeat for Penn State in Joe Paterno’s 18 years as head coach, despite nine Husker fumbles (NU recovered eight of them).

1983 schedule
04/23 Reds 37, Whites 14
08/29 Penn St. W 44-6
09/10 Wyoming W 56-20
09/17 @ Minnesota W 84-13
09/24 UCLA W 42-10
10/01 Syracuse W 63-7
10/08 @ Oklahoma St. W 14-10
10/15 @ Missouri W 34-13
10/22 Colorado W 69-19
10/29 @ Kansas St. W 51-25
11/05 Iowa St. W 72-29
11/12 Kansas W 67-13
11/26 @ Oklahoma W 28-21
01/02 Miami L 30-31
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