25 college football records that will never be broken
One of the top five college football records that will never be broken is the 1947 Penn State’s rush defense, which held its ten opponents to an average of 17 rushing yards per game. That performance also included another NCAA record that still stands: the Nittany Lions held Syracuse to -47 total yards on 49 offensive plays in a 40-0 victory, which is the fewest yards ever recorded in a college football game.
The Nittany Lions finished the season 9-0-1 that year, which at the time was the best record in school history, and finished the season ranked No. 4 by the Associated Press. Penn State tied SMU 13-13 in the Cotton Bowl.
As luck would have it, Penn State led the nation in rush defense again in 2014. However, to illustrate the difference in the two squads, and to show the unlikelihood that the record from ’47 will ever be broken, the Nittany Lions allowed 84.6 rushing yards per game last season and only seven FBS teams held opponents under 100 yards per game. Even in today’s era of spread offenses, most teams still hold run-first philosophies, and because of the sheer number of plays run per game now compared to 1947, 17 rushing yards per game isn’t going to happen again.
The Penn State defense was simply dominant in 1947, and allowed an average of four points per game, which makes them one of the very best of the modern college football era. However, if we go back a little farther, we’ll find a team (a few, actually) that didn’t allow a single point all season.
Next: 0 Points Allowed All Season