The Penn State Nittany Lions football statistical leaders are statistical leaders of the
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 af ...
program in various categories,
including
passing,
rushing,
receiving,
total offense
Total offense (or total offence) is a gridiron football statistic representing the total number of yards rushing and yards passing by a team or player. Total offense differs from yards from scrimmage, which gives credit for passing yardage to the ...
, defensive stats,
kicking
A kick is a physical strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee strike). This type of at ...
and overall team performance. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, career leaders and all time records. The Nittany Lions represent
Pennsylvania State University in the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
's
Big Ten Conference
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 ...
.
Although Penn State began competing in intercollegiate football in 1887,
the school's official record book considers the "modern era" to have begun in 1970. Records from before this year are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
* Since 1970, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
* The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...
(with the exception of the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
*
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivi ...
s only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002,
allowing players in most seasons since then an extra game to accumulate statistics.
*Starting in 2018 a redshirted player was allowed to play in up to 4 games in a season and still maintain their status allowing players to gain an extra season of statistics.
Passing
Passing yards
Passing touchdowns
Passing attempts
Passing completions
Passing completion percentage
* Minimum of 100 attempts for career
Interceptions
Longest touchdown pass
Rushing
Rushing yards
Rushing touchdowns
Longest rushing plays
Receiving
Receptions
Receiving yards
Receiving touchdowns
Longest touchdown reception
* All-time career and single season records for Tight Ends
Total offense
Total offense yards
Total touchdowns
Defense
Interceptions
Tackles
Sacks
Kicking
Extra Point Attempts
Extra Points Made
Extra Point Percentage
* Minimum of 40 Attempts
Field Goal Attempts
Field Goals Made
Field Goal Percentage
*Minimum of 40 Attempts
Points
Longest field goal made
Special teams
Longest kickoff return
Longest punt return
Overall team records
Largest win / loss margin
Longest win streaks
Longest losing streaks
Longest bowl streak
Longest bowl win streak
Largest bowl win/ loss margin
References
{{Big Ten Conference football statistical leaders navbox
Penn State
*