The Penn State Nittany Lions have had a history of strong teams. The best Penn State football team can, of course, be debated, but for now, it would have to go to the 1986 Nittany Lions. This was the season where Penn State went 12-0. As the Penn State Nittany Lions are currently building a strong team in the Big Ten, it is always fun to look back on the past greats. Here is a look back on their regular season, as well as what happened after, which contributed to them being the best Penn State team ever.

Why the Best Penn State Team Was in 1986

As said, the 1986 Penn State football went 12-0. They were also ranked first in the final AP Poll and won the National Championship game. The team was coached by Joe Paterno at the time and they were the first Penn State team to go undefeated. They ended the season by scoring 34o points compared to the 133 points scored against them. It is safe to say there is a solid argument to make that the best Penn State team was in 1986.

Former Penn State HC Joe Paterno – Jim Gerberich/AP

Team Breakdown: Offense

The starting quarterback for the team was John Shaffer. In the season, Shaffer completed 114 passes for 1,510 yards, according to Pro Football Reference. He also had nine passing touchdowns compared to just four interceptions. He also had three rushing touchdowns, though he definitely was not like the mobile quarterback we see today. The only other quarterback on the roster to score a passing touchdown was Matt Knizner. It should be known that this was definitely a run-first offense, which worked well for the team.

The running backs were a big contributor to why the best Penn State team was in 1986. The starting running backs were D.J. Dozier and Steve Smith. Dozier led the team in rushing yards at 811, along with ten rushing touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. The player also had 287 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Smith had 362 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He also had 134 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Although he was not listed as a starter, Tim Manoa had the second-most rushing yards at 546 and two touchdowns. Blair Thomas deserves a ton of credit as well as he put up 504 rushing yards.

The two starting wide receivers on the best Penn State team were Ray Roundtree and Eric Hamilton. In 1986, Roundtree had 296 receptions, and two touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. He also had 119 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Interestingly, Penn State did try to let Roundtree make a pass, but it was incomplete. Hamilton ended the season with 387 receiving yards and four touchdowns, averaging 20.4 yards per reception.

Starting at the tight end on this best Penn State team was Bob Mrosko. Mrosko had just 31 receiving yards and was more of a blocker than a receiver. This does make sense when it comes to how much the Nittany Lions’ offense relied on their run game. Although there are no stats to be discussed, the five offensive linemen were Chris Conlin, Dan Morgan, Keith Radecic, Mark Sickler, and Steve Wisniewski.

Former Penn State RB D.J. Dozier (42) – George Gojkovich/Getty Image

Team Breakdown: Defense

On the defensive line, the starters were Tim Johnson, Mike Russo, and Bob White. The arguably best Pen State team used three starters that season. Pro Football Reference does not list specific starts for this defensive line, but they put up a fight every game, and a big factor as to why this team went undefeated. The defense kept their opponents’ scores low in almost every game.

Four linebackers were listed as starters and they were Trey Bauer, Shane Conlin, Pete Giftopoulos, and Don Graham. The dominant middle of the defense was a big contributor to the 1986 team being the best of the Penn State Nittany Lions. Bauer had one interception that season, according to Pro Football Reference. Conlan also had one interception. Giftopoulos had two interceptions for 67 yards. Graham was the only one of the four to not have any interceptions.

The starting defensive backs on the best Penn State team were Duffy Cobbs, Marques Henderson, Ray Isom, and Eddie Johnson. Cobbs led the team for interceptions in 1986 at four, according to Pro Football Reference. Isom was in second with three for 47 yards. Johnson also had three interceptions but for 32 yards. Henderson had one interception. These turnovers were a huge contributor to why this Penn State team went undefeated.

Significant Games

One of the more significant games this season was in week one when Penn State faced Temple University. The Nittany Lions won the game 45-10. Temple went 6-5 that year, but this still set the tone for the 1986 Penn State season. Having a blowout win in the first week of the season is always a confidence booster, and clearly, Penn State fans got a glimpse at what the rest of the season would be like for them.

Another significant game to look back on was when Penn State faced Alabama in Week Seven, especially because Alabama had the home-field advantage. The Nittany Lions won the game 23-3. From the score, you would not think it, but Penn State entered the game ranked sixth, while Alabama was in second. It was that win that pushed the Nittany Lions up to second place. This was a big game, and if they did not win, this may not be considered the best Penn State team ever.

Former Penn State LBs Trey Bauer (35) and Shane Conlan (31) – AP Photo/Jim Gerberich

National Championship

On January 2nd, 1987, the Penn State Nittany Lions faced the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl. Heading into this game, Penn State was ranked second while Miami was in first. Both teams went into this game undefeated, and the final score was 14-10. While it was a close one, this sealed the season as the first time the Penn State Nittany Lions went undefeated. Of course, fans would have loved it if it were more high scoring, but at least they got the win and are still the best Penn State team to this day.

While some people would argue for 1992 or 1982 to be the best Penn State teams, it is too difficult to argue against the 1986 Penn State Nittany Lions. There have been great teams, but this one to this day still stands out more than the others. Hopefully, the Nittany Lions can utilize this current young team and create a new best Penn State team.