UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; September 16, 2006 - It took almost two quarters for Penn State's team speed to overwhelm a gutsy Youngstown State squad, but when it did, the Nittany Lions were off to the races and a whopping 568 yards in total offense.
The teams sparred through the first period and much of the second without putting points on the board, but the Lions posted 20 points in the final nine minutes of the first half to take control of the contest and ease out of non-conference play with a 37-3 win in front of 104,954 somnambulant fans at Beaver Stadium.
Tony Hunt was Penn State's offensive workhorse, rushing18 times for 145 yards and a touchdown, while Anthony Morelli completed 11-of-27 for 154 yards. The defense held the Penguins to just 184 yards of total offense, and only 47 rushing.
"We just wanted to come out today and intimidate them by running hard," Hunt said. "I think it's pretty important to establish a running game and pound them. I think we did a pretty good job today."
After the Notre Dame loss, co-captain Paul Posluszny promised that the team would rebound against Youngstown State this week.
"[Against Notre Dame] we made mental mistakes that are easily correctible," Posluszny said. "There were so many things we could have done to help ourselves, things we usually do."
Against the Penguins, Penn State did those kinds of things. The Lions intercepted two passes, forced two fumbles and scored three rushing touchdowns with a punishing ground game. Paterno used freshman quarterback Kevin Suhey as the holder on Kevin Kelly's kick attemps and the combination worked three times after a scoring chance on a kick in the first quarter went askew.
Kelly's first attempt knuckled and fell short from 30 yards out, but after the miscue the Kelly-Suhey battery was in sync. Midway through the second quarter, the sophomore kicker connected on a 49-yard field goal to open the scoring and give Penn State a 3-0 lead.
The Nittany Lions torched the Penguins for the rest of the half. A 60-yard punt return by Derrick Williams was negated by an illegal block in the back, but on the very next play A.J. Wallace collected a reverse toss from Tony Hunt and outran the Youngstown State secondary for a 76-yard touchdown - the first of his career.
For the season, the fleet freshman has three carries for 135 yards. Not a bad average per carry.
Anthony Scirrotto intercepted Youngstown State's Tom Zetts on the ensuing possession, and Hunt turned the turnover into points all on his own. The Senior running back caught a 16-yard pass from Morelli and scored on an 11-yard run that put the Lions up 17-0.
Kelly connected on a 28-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter to send the Lions to the break with a 20-0 lead.
To their credit, the Penguins started the second half with a 14-play, 64-yard drive that ate up almost six minutes of clock and produced three points. Brian Palmer's 31-yard field goal made the score 20-3.
From there, it was all Lions. Derrick Williams scored on a four-yard touchdown run, Kelly connected on a 36-yard field goal, Jay Alford recovered a fumble and Lydell Sargeant intercepted Mike Schneider. Darryl Clark's 18-yard touchdown run with two minutes left ended all scoring.
After the game, Joe Paterno said that he believes the Lions are improving. "I think we were sloppy, but I think we made some progress in some areas," Paterno said. "We were a little erratic in some areas and we need to improve on that, naturally, but I think overall we made some progress. We're certainly not good enough yet."
More than 30 members of the 1966 football team - Paterno's first squad ¨C were recognized at halftime of the game. The '66 Lions belted Pittsburgh, 48-24, in the season finale that year to finish the season with a 5-5 record. It was the last time Penn State did not have a winning season until 1988.
Paterno has come a long way; his career record now stands at 356-118-3 in his 41st year as head coach.
Youngstown State is the 150th different opponent for Penn State since its inaugural season in 1887 and the Nittany Lions improve to 45-11 against non-conference teams since joining the Big Ten in 1993. The Lions have won 15 of their last 17 games dating back to a dramatic last-minute goal line stand that preserved a 22-18 win over Indiana on November 13, 2004.
Next week, Youngstown State returns home to host UC Davis. The Nittany Lions open Big Ten play next weekend as they travel to Columbus to face No. 1 Ohio State.
The Lions are excited to have another chance to play on the national stage.
"It is always fun between Ohio State and us and it will be another great game," said linebacker Tim Shaw. "That is what is so special about the Big Ten - every year you play these top teams."