2004 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

The spring saw some changes to the coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Fran Ganter was named the new Associate Athletic Director for Football Administration, after 37 years as a player and coach for Penn State. Former Penn State quarterback Galen Hall joined the coaching staff as the new offensive coordinator and running backs coach. Mike McQueary, another former Penn State quarterback, joins the staff as the wide receivers coach and will also serve as the recruiting coordinator.^[1]

In addition to the coaching changes, head coach Joe Paterno had his contract extended through the 2008 football season, despite having had three losing seasons in the past four.^[2]

Last season's second-leading receiver Maurice Humphrey was expelled from school and convicted of three counts of simple assault. He would not play another down for Penn State. Humphrey's expulsion created a void of experience at the wide receiver position. Senior Gerald Smith was the most experienced receiver, and he had only 15 catches in 2003.

Prior to the season, Zack Mills and Derek Wake were elected team co-captains by their teammates.^[3]

Penn State started the season unranked in both the AP and the Coaches college football preseason polls.

US college sports recruiting information for recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Wyatt Bowman OL	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Cumberland Valley HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	314 lb (142 kg)	5.20	Apr 26, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Dontey Brown LB	McKeesport, Pennsylvania	McKeesport Area SHS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	252 lb (114 kg)	4.70	May 2, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Gerald Cadogan OL	Portsmouth, Ohio	Portsmouth HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	310 lb (140 kg)	5.10	Aug 8, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Paul Cianciolo QB	St. George, South Carolina	Dorchester Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	228 lb (103 kg)	4.75	Dec 5, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Dan Connor LB	Wallingford, Pennsylvania	Strath Haven HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	4.55	Aug 5, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Tony Davis CB	Warren, Ohio	Howland HS	5 ft 11.5 in (1.82 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.40	May 13, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Josh Gaines TE	Fort Wayne, Indiana	Northrop HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	253 lb (115 kg)	4.80	Aug 2, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Matt Hahn RB	Melville, New York	St. Anthony's HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	4.50	Feb 20, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Greg Harrison OL	Shenandoah, Pennsylvania	Shenandoah Valley JSHS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	299 lb (136 kg)	5.20	Apr 26, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Jed Hill TE	Struthers, Ohio	Struthers HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	247 lb (112 kg)	4.60	Jun 16, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Austin Hinton OL	Secaucus, New Jersey	Secaucus HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	5.00	Jul 1, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Dan Lawlor RB	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Cumberland Valley HS	6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	4.60	Jun 24, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Mike Lucian TE	Frederick, Maryland	Linganore HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	4.80	Jun 18, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Jordan Lyons TE	College Park, Georgia	Woodward Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	4.70	Jan 19, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Anthony Morelli QB	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Penn Hills SHS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	216 lb (98 kg)	4.70	Feb 4, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Jordan Norwood CB	State College, Pennsylvania	State College Area HS	5 ft 8.5 in (1.74 m)	143 lb (65 kg)	NA	Dec 20, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Rich Ohrnberger OL	East Meadow, New York	East Meadow HS	6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m)	282 lb (128 kg)	4.90	Jul 12, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Spencer Ridenhour S	White Plains, New York	White Plains SHS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	4.47	May 22, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Elijah Robinson DT	Camden, New Jersey	Woodrow Wilson HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	NA	Jan 9, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Mark Rubin WR	Amherst, New York	Amherst Central HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.50	Jun 28, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Tyrell Sales LB	Butler, Pennsylvania	Butler Area SHS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	243 lb (110 kg)	4.69	Aug 10, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
A.Q. Shipley DT	Coraopolis, Pennsylvania	Moon SHS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	4.96	Jun 18, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Kevin Suhey QB	State College, Pennsylvania	State College Area HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.68	Dec 3, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Trent Varva OL	Lake Orion, Michigan	Lake Orion Community HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	310 lb (140 kg)	5.00	Jul 8, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 12   Rivals: 14
‡ 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 2004". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Penn State". Scout.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007. "2004 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007.

2004 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 2 Gio Vendemia  Jr QB 3 Chris Ganter  Jr QB 6 Mike Hart  Fr QB 7 Zack Mills (C) Sr RB 8 Rodney Kinlaw  Fr WR 9 Terrance Phillips  Jr WR 11 Terrell Golden  Fr QB 12 Michael Robinson Jr WR 13 Kinta Palmer  Jr QB 14 Anthony Morelli Fr QB 15 Paul Cianciolo Fr WR 16 Dan Corrado  So WR 17 Mike Baird  Jr TE 18 Jordan Lynons Fr QB 19 Tom Lundquist  Jr WR 19 Gerald Smith  Sr TE 22 Jed Hill Fr WR 25 Brendan Perretta  Fr RB 26 Tony Hunt So RB 28 Chris Wilson  So RB 33 Austin Scott So RB 34 Matt Hahn Fr RB 36 Nick Pinchek  Fr FB 38 Dan Lawlor Fr FB 39 Paul Jefferson  Sr FB 42 Adam Senk  Jr FB 47 Brian Gilmore  Jr OT 50 Andrew Richardson  Jr OL 51 Tim Harris Fr G 54 Scott Davis  Sr OL 56 Austin Hinton Fr OT 58 Greg Harrison Fr G 59 Charles Rush  Jr C 60 Patick Weber  Fr OL 61 Ross Muir Fr OL 63 Joe Toriello Fr OL 64 Wyatt Bowman Fr G 65 Robert Price  So C 66 Lance Antolick  Jr OT 67 Levi Brown  So OT 68 John Wilson  Jr OL 69 Tommy Schnell Fr G 70 Nick Marmo  Sr G 71 Mark Farris So OL 72 Trent Varva Fr OT 73 Joel Holler Fr G 74 Tyler Reed  Jr OT 76 Gerald Cadogan Fr C 77 E.Z. Smith  Jr OT 79 Chris Auletta  Fr WR 80 Mark Rubin Fr TE 81 Isaac Smolko  Jr WR 82 Vic Surma  So WR 83 Ryan Scott  Sr TE 87 John Bronson  Sr TE 88 Kevin Darling  So TE 98 Mike Pawlikowski  Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 1 Anwar Phillips  Jr DB 3 Deon Butler Fr S 5 Jim Kanuch So S 6 Donnie Johnson So S 10 Calvin Lowry  Jr S 11 Jason Ganter  Fr LB 14 Andy Kubic So CB 15 Brent Wise  Fr CB 16 Tony Davis Fr DE 17 Lavon Chisley  Jr S 18 Andrew Guman  Sr CB 20 Marcus Mills  Jr LB 20 Tim Shaw  So CB 21 Alan Zemaitis Jr CB 22 Darien Hardy So S 24 Nolan McCready So S 27 Chris Harrell Sr S 29 Paul Cronin  Jr LB 30 BranDon Snow So LB 31 Paul Posluszny So CB 35 John Royse  Jr LB 35 J.R. Zwierzynski  So DB 37 Spencer Ridenhour Fr LB 40 Dan Connor Fr DT 41 Scott Paxson  Jr S 43 Ethan Kilmer  Jr DE 44 Patrick Hall So LB 45 Pat Bedics Fr DB 46 Curt Reese  Jr DL 46 Tyrell Sales Fr LB 48 Matt Pavelic  So LB 49 Dorian Burton  Jr LB 51 Joe Cianciolo  Jr LB 52 Dontey Brown Fr DT 53 Steve Roach So DE 54 Amani Purcell  Fr DE 55 Matthew Rice  Jr LB 56 Mike Sothern  Fr DL 62 Nick Daise So DL 69 Jason Robinson  Sr DT 75 Lee Kuzemchak So DT 78 John Shaw So LB 84 Josh Gaines Fr DT 85 Jay Alford So DL 86 Mike Lucian Fr DL 91 Tamba Hali  Jr DT 92 Ed Johnson  So DL 93 A.Q. Shipley Fr LB 94 Derek Wake (C)  Sr DT 95 Elijah Robinson Fr DL 96 Rich Ohrnberger Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 4 Robbie Gould  Sr K 13 Patrick Humes Fr K 21 Joe Prokopik Fr K 23 Tony Bernatos Fr P 36 Jeremy Kapinos  So P 49 Brandon Ream So LS 57 Chris Mauriello  Fr	Head coach Joe Paterno Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: August 13, 2004

• Joe Paterno – Head Coach
• Dick Anderson – Offensive Line (Guards and Centers)
• Tom Bradley – Defensive Coordinator and Cornerbacks
• Galen Hall – Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs
• Larry Johnson Sr. – Defensive Line
• Bill Kenney – Offensive Tackles and Tight Ends
• Mike McQueary – Wide Receivers and Recruiting Coordinator
• Brian Norwood – Safeties
• Jay Paterno – Quarterbacks
• Ron Vanderlinden – Linebackers
• John Thomas – Strength and Conditioning

The overwhelmed Zips find themselves behind 41–3 at halftime against Penn State, who subs in the backups, Penn State scores once in the third to make it 48–3, and Akron scores a late, meaningless touchdown against the Lions to bring the score to 48–10, with this being Galen Hall's first game as an offensive coordinator. This game gave Penn State fans false hope that their team was on the rebound from their 3–9 season last year. ESPN described the offense as "looking unstoppable", which led to the Lions being favored over Boston College the following week.

Boston College takes a 14–0 halftime lead at home over the Nittany Lions, and then takes a 21–7 lead after three for the game's final points. Sloppy play on offense ultimately doomed Penn State as Boston College becomes the first of three teams to score 20 or more points on a defense that didn't allow more than 21 points all year and the only team to score 21 offensive points on the Nittany Lions.

Despite sloppy play and mistakes, the Golden Knights couldn't help but find themselves blown out by a much better Penn State team. After falling behind 3–0 in the first quarter, the Nittany Lions make it 21–6 at halftime and 30–6 after three thanks to a touchdown and a safety. The backups are subbed in for the fourth, both teams score, and it's 37–13 as the final score.

In a defensive game, three of Penn State's quarterbacks were injured. Zack Mills was knocked out for the game, sustained a concussion, and backup Michael Robinson was taken away in an ambulance after sustaining life-threatening injuries from a vicious hit. Third stringer Chris Ganter did little against the Badgers' defense with Penn State only managing a field goal in the third quarter, barely preserving their streak of games without being shut out. Wisconsin only scored 16 points, which was well below their average for the year.

After the game, Minnesota players had said that they had not seen a defense of Penn State's caliber before, but won because of Penn State's offensive weaknesses, still, Penn State's defense kept them in the game for the majority of the game, which would be true for every game this season.

Purdue managed only their second Big Ten win in history over Penn State by holding on for a 20–13 win at Beaver Stadium. It was a 10–10 tie and 17–13 after three, but Purdue's final field goal was enough to win it. Purdue's historic losses to Penn State include a loss in 2000 to a 5–7 Nittany Lions team while Purdue themselves were Big Ten champions, representing themselves at the Rose Bowl.

This game is also significant in the history of both Beaver Stadium and Penn State football for another reason not pertaining to the game itself. To try and draw extra excitement for the team, in what was a down year for the program, the athletic department asked the students to wear white to the game. Over 20,000 students participated in what would become the first ever White Out in school history.^[4]

This is a game that by many Penn State fans was considered a low point for the football program because of the inept offenses and the fact that the only Penn State scores were defensive. The Penn State defense effectively shut down the Hawkeyes, forcing two first half field goals, but was unable to get anything going on offense. Penn State took a 2–0 lead on a safety early in the game, but the Hawkeyes had a field goal to make it 3–2, then another to make it 6–2 at halftime. The Hawkeyes barely gained any ground in the second half, and the Nittany Lions got their final two points from an elective safety in the fourth quarter because Iowa feared that Penn State would block the punt in the end zone, taking the lead on a touchdown, because they had already blocked a few punts that day. The strategy worked, Penn State coughed up the ball on their next drive and Iowa took a knee to kill the clock. While this game was a low point for Penn State, it was a big game for the Hawkeyes because head coach Kirk Ferentz's father died the week before.

While technically not an official White Out, students were encouraged to wear white again to this game. Participation was about the same as at the Purdue game and the loss resulted in a brief drop in the popularity of the event.^[4]

Ohio State scored a defensive and special teams touchdown, but Penn State's defense mostly kept them out of the end zone in a 21–10 loss, one of two times they scored double digits in the Horseshoe as a Big 10 team, the other time being in 2008 where they won 13–6 to take control of the Big Ten race. Penn State actually outscored the Buckeyes 10–7 offensively.

Penn State held the momentum and controlled the tempo of most of the game, but couldn't quite put the Wildcats away, despite having a few opportunities to, including a missed field goal and a drive that ended at the Northwestern 18, losing another close game 7–14.

This is the game that is said to have turned Penn State's fortunes around. In the same way that the 1999 upset loss to Minnesota was believed to begin a downward spiral called "The Dark Years" by Penn State fans, this close game that ended with a four down goal line stand very late in the game, with Penn State clinging to a 22–16 lead, is said to have been the game that started Penn State on the winning track again and springboarded the team towards the 2005 Big Ten championship. Indiana managed a 13–7 halftime lead, but late in the game found themselves down 22–16, only scoring a field goal but leading 16–14 until Penn State took the lead on a late touchdown and two-point conversion. Penn State stopped Indiana four straight times at the goal line, eventually conceding a safety on the final play of the game to prevent Indiana from having a chance to win. Penn State's goal line stand at Indiana as a result of the momentum it gave the team is considered one of the best Penn State games.

The Spartans of Michigan State were 5–5, hoping to become bowl eligible, and the only thing standing in their way was a 3–7 Penn State team who only had one Big Ten win, but the goal line stand at Indiana that led to the Penn State victory the previous week gave them the momentum to win this game big. After a slow first half where Michigan State led 6–3, Penn State rolled off 28 third quarter points to put the game out of reach, going up 31–6 on the Spartans thanks to a plethora of interceptions. Penn State would kick two more field goals in the last quarter while the Spartans scored a late touchdown against backups.

Again, this game also sheds some light on the history of the White Out. After losses against Purdue and Iowa earlier in the season, the athletic department changed strategy with a "Code Blue" dress code. This time, it was extended to all fans in the stadium and students went from dorm to dorm to spread the word. Despite winning the game, the tradition did not stick and fans went back to wearing white the following season.^[5]

The offense did not get going until the third quarter of the final game, but the defense finished the season in the top 10 in four NCAA statistical categories and was the only team in the nation to not allow more than 21 points a game. The Nittany Lion defense ranked fifth in scoring defense (15.3 points per game), ranked tenth in total defense (291.55 yards per game), ranked sixth in pass defense (162.3 ypg), ranked fourth in pass efficiency defense (99.8 rating), and held all 11 opponents below their total offense average.^[16]

Despite the losing record, Penn State ranked among the top four in attendance for the 14th consecutive year, averaging 103,111 in six home games, including attendances of 108,183 against Purdue and 108,062 against Iowa, the ninth and tenth largest crowds in Beaver Stadium history.^[17]

None of the departing players were drafted in the 2005 NFL Draft, but a number of players signed with NFL teams as free agents.