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| Michael Robinson threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 125 yards in his final Beaver Stadium performance. |
University Park, PA ?C In a critical conference game pitting the Big Ten??s highest scoring team (Wisconsin averages 39.7 ppg) against the conference??s stingiest scoring defense (Penn State allows 16.1 ppg), the Lions proved the age old adage that offense is exciting, but defense wins football games.
It also doesn??t hurt to have both.
And it was behind the outstanding play of both units that Penn State went up 21-0 at halftime and cruised to a convincing 35-14 win in the last game of the year at Beaver Stadium.
It??s a heady time in Happy Valley lately; Sports Illustrated On Campus designated a Penn State football weekend ??The Greatest Show in College Sports." The Blue Band recently won the 2005 Sudler Trophy, the most prestigious collegiate marching band award.
On a sunny Senior Day at Beaver Stadium, with cumulus clouds drifting through clear blue skies above, the Nittany Lions finished off their first perfect home season since 1998. With the Big Ten title on the line - and BCS hopes looming ?C the Penn State offense raced to a 21-0 lead and the senior-led defense closed and locked the door.
A 43-yard Michael Robinson scoring strike to Deon Butler served notice on the very first 73-yard drive. The senior signal caller was sizzling hot from the get-go, completing his first three passes from a variety of formations to start the game.
Wisconsin could not answer on its first possession despite a costly interference call against the Lions. A sack by Tamba Hali and Butkus finalist Paul Posluszny along with constant pressure by Jay Alford stalled the potent Badger combo of Brian Calhoun and John Stocco.
| Paul Posluszny made 12 tackles and a sack in the win. |
Penn State opened the second quarter with a 70-yard drive highlighted by a lightning quick strike across the middle from Robinson to Jordan Norwood. Tony Hunt capped the march with a nine yard draw up the gut and Kevin Kelly??s conversion made it 14-0 in favor of Penn State.
The left-footed Kelly came into today??s game with 81 points (14-18 FG, 37-38 PAT) and ranked fourth overall in the Big Ten in scoring, second among kickers. His 81 points broke the Penn State freshman scoring record of 74 points set by Craig Fayak in 1990.
Heisman Trophy and Doak Walker Award candidate Brian Calhoun entered the day No. 5 nationally in both all-purpose yardage (184.1 ypg) and rushing yardage (135.3 ypg) and led the nation with 21 touchdowns. Then he ran into Penn State.
Calhoun, who finished the day with just 38 yards rushing, started to get momentum in the second period, but Wisconsin??s drive into Penn State??s red zone was foiled when Senior Alan Zemaitis made a diving interception of Stocco in the end zone for Penn State??s 19th turnover of the season.
The Badgers learned the hard way that when you don??t protect the ball in Beaver Stadium, the Lions make you pay dearly. For the 11th time this year, the Lions turned a miscue into a touchdown when BranDon Snow bulled four yards up the middle on a belly play to cap the 80-yard scoring drive. Penn State 21 ?C Wisconsin 0.
On its first four drives Penn State amassed 260 yards and three touchdowns.
As the first half ran down, Wisconsin benefited from a Michael Robinson interception but Calvin Lowry shut down the drive with an over-the-shoulder interception to give the ball back to his quarterback.
The half ended when Wisconsin turned the ball over on downs on a failed fourth-and-five attempt.
Wisconsin fought back in the fourth quarter with a workmanlike seven-play, 89-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown sweep by Calhoun. The extra point made it 21-7 Penn State with 12:27 remaining in the contest.
| Tony Hunt rushed for a career-high 151 yards in Penn State??s 35-15 win, the fifth time he??s broken the 100-yard barrier this season. |
On the next drive, Wisconsin unwisely blitzed on third-and-three and Michael Robinson was lying in wait. With Norwood and Butler racing down the right sideline in single coverage, Robinson dropped a perfectly arced pass into Butler??s outstretched hands for a 43-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 28-7.
Stocco drew Wisconsin within two touchdowns again with an 18-yard strike to Brandon White with 5:13 left, but Penn State answered yet again with a 10-yard Tony Hunt touchdown to put the game out of reach at 35-14 and end the scoring. Hunt finished with a heroic 151 yards on the day and added two touchdowns.
Michael Robinson entered the game with 23 touchdowns this year, 10 of those rushing. Today, the senior co-captain gained 238 yards on 13 completions and piled up an additional 125 yards rushing. His effort on the day pushed him past the single season yards total of 2,660 set by Kerry Collins in 1994.
Tamba Hali proved to be the most disruptive presence on defense with four sacks and nine tackles, followed by Paul Posluszny who made 12 tackles. The Lions notched an astounding nine sacks in all.
Joe Paterno sent his 23 graduating seniors out on a high note in front of a more than satisfied Beaver Stadium crowd of 109,865, the stadium??s second-largest crowd ever.
??I was just glad to see them practice hard all week,?? said Paterno of his seniors. ??These guys have been through some stuff and they have stayed together.??
Penn State improves to 4-1 against the Badgers at Beaver Stadium and Joe Paterno??s career record improves to 352- 117-3. The teams first met in 1953 and despite the loss, Wisconsin still owns a 7-4 series advantage, including a 5-4 edge since Penn State began Big Ten competition in 1993. Since ??93, the visiting team has won five of the nine meetings. The teams next meet November 4, 2006 in Madison.
Penn State fans can finally look forward to a short break ?C the Nittany Lions welcome their first bye week of the season while Wisconsin, looking to bounce back, hosts Iowa.