Final Word From Happy Valley

The huge plays came from everywhere:
--There was a devastating sack from tackle Jay Alford.
--A drive-killing sack on the next possession by linebacker Paul Posluszny.
--Yet another sack, this time from end Tamba Hali, to push the Buckeyes back to their 5-yard line with just 2:19 to play.
--And no play was bigger than Hali coming back to blast Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith on a sack, knocking the ball loose, with tackle Scott Paxson recovering around midfield with 1:21 to play.
"I told Tamba we got to get off the field, got to get a pass rush," Alford said.
The Lions, ranked 16th and rising, simply sat on the ball and ran out the clock.
It would be the defense that would give these Lions their own shot at an unexpected national title run.
Afterward, Penn State fans, most from the student section, poured over the rails and covered the field, celebrating the team’s biggest victory since that early-season knockout of Nebraska in Beaver Stadium at the beginning of 2002.
The Lions, now 6-0, face their next significant test this coming Saturday at Michigan Stadium against the Wolverines, who fell to 3-3 with a loss to Minnesota on Saturday.
"I’m not going to get carried away with one win. We have to go to Ann Arbor next week," said head coach Joe Paterno. "It was a good, tough ballgame, (but) I’m not going to go berserk over it."
Still, there was much to savor late on Saturday night: An all-around, overwhelming defensive effort. An offense that did just enough, not turning the ball over. First-year starting quarterback Michael Robinson managing a game as well as could be hoped.
And a team coming off back-to-back losing seasons already bowl eligible before the middle of October.
As expected, the offense struggled against the powerful Buckeyes until the second quarter.
Tailback Tony Hunt finally started a surge early in the second quarter by blasting free through the line on a draw play for 25 yards before being tripped and tackled.
Hunt came back to carry tacklers on a crucial fourth-and-1 play. Robinson then followed with a beautiful scramble for 16 yards, feeling the rush at the last moment and breaking free deep into Ohio State territory.
On the next play, freshman star Derrick Williams took a pitch and ran right 13 yards for the score and the lead. It was a play similar to the first TD he scored last week against Minnesota.
The Lions led 7-3 with 10:28 to play before halftime.
And a sold-out crowd — certainly more than a bit tipsy from a raw, soggy day of tailgating — reacted with a stadium-shaking roar.
Then a big hit on the ensuing kickoff. A Penn State sack. An incomplete pass.
And the crowd roared louder.
Then Calvin Lowry intercepted a pass and returned it all the way to the 2-yard line.
And the roar turned to thunder, most of the fans bouncing up and down.
Then a third-down Robinson touchdown run.
And, just like that, it was 14-3 with half of the second quarter still to play.
Of course, the Buckeyes aren’t ranked sixth in the nation for nothing.
They responded with a numbing, 14-play drive that took up 81 yards and more than seven minutes. QB Troy Smith carried the final 10 yards for a TD that cut the lead to four at halftime.
The Bucks had survived and gained some momentum.
It was worth noting that the Lions had carved out their 14-10 lead with only 30 passing yards. They had found a way to run on the nation’s toughest run defense. Hunt had gained 66 yards with nearly all of the second half yet to play on a defense that came in giving up only 41 a game.
The third quarter began with an efficient PSU drive. Ten plays, 45 yards and a 41-yard field goal by freshman kicker Kevin Kelly.
The lead was back to seven points.
And the defense protected that all the way to the end. One Buckeye drive ended on a 50-yard field goal try that was wide right with 1:58 left in the third quarter. That would be the closest they came to scoring the rest of the way.
The defense was led by Posluszny, who turned in another All-America effort with 14 tackles, two behind the line of scrimmage. Safety Chris Harrell finished with 12 tackles, and linebacker Dan Connor turned in his best effort (12 tackles) since returning from a suspension a couple of weeks ago.
Hali added seven tackles — three behind scrimmage — and 1.5 sacks.
The second half turned into a battle of defenses and field position. Linebacker and defensive lineman forcing crucial punts. Quite often, the PSU offense went backward in the third and fourth quarters, and punter Jeremy Kapinos was unusually shaky with his kicks.
Back and forth it went.
Both defenses had started off the game strong as expected.
Posluszny ended Ohio State’s first drive by sacking Smith for a 3-yard loss. The Buckeyes punted without making a first down.
Penn State’s first drive ended with Michael Robinson throwing two incompletions. The Lions punted without a first down.
And the first break of the game came on that PSU punt. It appeared that Kapinos’ punt was blocked, and the ball ended up going only 11 yards. The Buckeyes took over on their own 43.
And that would come back to hurt the Lions.
The Bucks took advantage of the nice field position to drive 44 yards on 12 plays, settling for a 30-yard field goal.
It was 3-0 with 6:41 left in the first quarter.
And that’s how the quarter ended.
Certainly, the suffocating defense was a sign of things to come. No Nittany Lion finished with particularly impressive numbers, not Hunt (64 rushing yards), Robinson (11-of-20 passing for 78 yards) or leading receiver Jordan Norwood (five receptions, 36 yards).
But it didn’t matter. Not on this night.
Not with this defense.