September 3 vs. Indiana State The Nittany Lions defeated the
NCAA Football Championship Subdivision,
Indiana State Sycamores 41–7.
Rob Bolden started for the Nittany Lions at quarterback and shared QB duties with
Matt McGloin. The game began with a 95-yard
kick-off return for touchdown by
Chaz Powell.
Silas Redd ran for 104 yards on 12 carries scored two touchdowns. and
fullbacks Joe Suhey and Michael Zordich each had one running touchdown. TV announcers =
Big Ten Network Matt Devlin,
Glen Mason &
Dionne Miller September 10 vs. Alabama The third ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by
Nick Saban, defeated the Nittany Lions 27–11 at Beaver Stadium. Rob Bolden was once again the starting quarterback and shared playing time with Matt McGloin. Bolden completed 11 of 29 passes for 144 yards and one interception while McGloin was 1 of 10 for 0 yards. While the offense, once again led by quarterbacks Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin, struggled the defense was able to keep the game within reach.
Derek Moye had 7 receptions for 112 yards with all 7 catches being good for a Penn State first down. Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin shared quarterback duties again. McGloin threw three touchdown passes, one to fullback Joe Suhey and two to wide receiver Derek Moye who became the sixth Nittany Lion to have more than 2,000 yards receiving in his career. The Penn State defense limited the Eagles offense to just two fourth-quarter field goals and picked up three turnovers including an interception by Nick Sukay. Malcolm Willis blocked an Eastern Michigan punt. Linebacker Michael Mauti and cornerback D'Anton Lynn both left the game with apparently severe injuries. Mauti injured his knee and is out for the season with an ACL injury to his left knee. Lynn was placed on a backboard as a precautionary measure and was admitted to the local hospital.
October 1 at Indiana The game against the Indiana Hoosiers was Joe Paterno's 700th game as a member of the Penn State coaching staff. He has been coaching at Penn State since 1950 when he moved to Penn State from
Brown University with his mentor and predecessor
Rip Engle. The Nittany Lions defeated the Hoosiers 16–10 for Paterno's 405th career win as head coach. Both offenses struggled throughout most of the game. Rob Bolden started for Penn State at quarterback and shared playing time with Matt McGloin. Derek Moye caught a 74-yard touchdown pass from McGloin in the third quarter. Kicker Anthony Fera was successful on 3 of 4 field goal attempts.
October 8 vs. Iowa Penn State defeated Iowa 13 – 3. The victory over the Hawkeyes was just the second win in the series for the Nittany Lions since 2000. Rob Bolden started the game, but played just two series. Matt McGloin took the rest of the snaps at quarterback and completed a 2-yard touchdown to Kevin Haplea. The Penn State defense produced five
sacks and three turnovers, one fumble and two interceptions to help control the game. The running game led by Silas Redd and Curtis Dukes ran up 231 yards on the ground to help control the clock and keep the Iowa offense off the field. Rob Bolden once again started at quarterback, but Matt McGloin took the great majority of the snaps. He threw one interception that bounced off the feet of receiver Bill Belton and into the arms of the Boilermaker's Albert Evans who returned it 55 yards from the endzone.
October 22 at Northwestern Penn State defeated Northwestern 34–24 giving Joe Paterno his 408th career win and tying him with
Grambling's legendary
Eddie Robinson. The first half was an offensive shoot-out and the second a defensive struggle. Despite the fact that McGloin took every snap at quarterback, both Joe and quarterback coach Jay Paterno stated that the competition between McGloin and Rob Bolden to be the starter was still active.
October 29 vs. Illinois Paterno earned his 409th win and passed Grambling State's Eddie Robinson as Division I's winningest coach in what would unexpectedly become his final game at Penn State. The game at halftime was 0–0, Illinois took a 7–0 lead in the 3rd quarter on a 10-yard pass from quarterback
Nathan Scheelhaase to wide receiver Spencer Harris. A blocked punt by Brad Bars set up Penn State's first score of the game, a thirty-yard field goal by Anthony Fera with 7:00 remaining.
November 12 vs. Nebraska This was the first Nittany Lion's game not coached by
Joe Paterno in 46 years due to his firing for his involvement in the
Penn State child sex abuse scandal. Penn State fell behind 10–0 at halftime and trailed 17–0 after a Matt McGloin fumble in the third quarter that led to a Nebraska touchdown. Penn State rallied, however, and even had a chance to win after scoring two touchdowns and narrowing the deficit to 17–14. Had Penn State won the game, they would have been two regular-season wins away from a likely Big Ten championship appearance. (They went on to beat Ohio State and to lose to Wisconsin.) However, a last gasp play from near mid-field ended hopes of a comeback. This game was marked with much emotion with a blue-out (in contrast to the normal white-out) at Beaver Stadium in support of the alleged victims of Sandusky's crimes. Nebraska and Penn State gathered for a prayer at midfield for the victims and the fans showed the support for their team with a standing ovation at the end of the game despite the loss. Penn State had success running the
Wildcat formation with
Curtis Drake and
Bill Belton taking snaps while quarterback
Matt McGloin lined up in the slot. This victory took the show down for the Leaders Division championship to their final regular season game at Wisconsin. Penn State won the game despite being a seven-point
underdog according to
Las Vegas bookmakers. It was the first time since 2001 against
Northwestern that the Nittany Lions were victorious despite being so heavily favored to lose.
November 26 at Wisconsin The winner of this matchup was guaranteed to represent the Leaders division in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game in
Indianapolis. Penn State lost to Wisconsin 7–45 to close out the regular season. The Nittany Lions took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Matt McGloin to Curtis Drake. Penn State turned the ball over four times, three fumbles and one interception. The Badgers, led by quarterback
Russell Wilson and tailback
Montee Ball, were able to convert all four turnovers into scores. ===January 2 vs. Houston (
2012 TicketCity Bowl)=== Penn State lost to Houston 14–30 in the TicketCity Bowl at the
Cotton Bowl Stadium in
Dallas,
Texas to end the season. Houston quarterback,
Case Keenum, was the game MVP completing 45 of 69 passes for 532 yards and three touchdowns. Rob Bolden started at quarterback in place of the injured Matt McGloin for Penn State. Bolden, the offense, and the defense struggled throughout the game. ==Awards==