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- Penn State-Northwestern Notes and Records
- Joe Paterno & Tom Bradley Post-Game Quotes
- Penn State Player Post-Game Quotes
- Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald Post-Game Quotes
- Northwestern Player Post-Game Quotes
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| Deon Butler caught 11 passes for 216 yards and now holds Penn State's single-game receiving yardage record. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; September 30, 2006 ?C In Penn State??s previous three contests, the offensive plan called for a punishing ground game led by Tony Hunt, who continues to climb the school??s all-time rushing charts.
Against Northwestern, the plan changed. The Nittany Lions came out throwing early and often, Deon Butler turned in a record-setting performance and Penn State earned a satisfying 33-7 win in its Big Ten home opener.
??We ran a lot of play action and reverses early on, mostly to take pressure off of our makeshift offensive line,?? said Paterno in his post-game press conference.
Butler caught 11 passes for 216 yards to set a new Penn State single-game receiving yardage record, and Anthony Morelli completed 19-of-33 for 288 yards. The reliable Hunt rushed 28 times for 137 yards, mostly between the tackles, and passed legend Lenny Moore to move into 11th place on Penn State??s career rushing list.
??He is certainly one of the better backs we??ve had," said Paterno of Hunt. ??He is a complete back, he is a good receiver, a good blocker and he weighs 230 pounds.??
Kevin Kelly converted all four of his field goal tries and was 3-of-3 on extra points.
| Tony Hunt carried 28 times for 137 yards and passed Lenny Moore for 11th all-time on the school's career rushing list. |
Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night prevents die hard fans from showing up to support the Nittany Lions. Despite unseasonably cold temperatures and a consistent, spitting rain, 108,837 people squeezed in to see the 275th game played at Beaver Stadium since it opened on Sept. 17, 1960.
The win rewarded loyal fans and extended Penn State??s home winning streak to 11 games. The Lions are in the midst of their longest home winning streak since winning 12 consecutive contests during the 1997-99 seasons.
Morelli set the tone for the first half, hitting Butler for a 40-yard completion on the game??s first play and finding the sophomore again for a completion of 55 yards later in the period.
Butler notched three catches of over 40 yards; his 55 yard reception was a career long and the play tied Anthony Morelli??s career high as well. Morelli also had a career high 288 yards passing on the day.
Butler??s 216 yards surpassed the record of O.J. McDuffie, who had 12 catches for 212 yards against Boston College in 1992.
??A lot of time they were playing man-to-man backside,?? said a smiling but modest Butler afterwards. ??Anthony just took advantage of what they gave us. Today was just my day. We have seen Jordan (Norwood) have days like this. We just take what they give us.??
The aeronautical display set up Penn State for two first quarter field goals; Kelly connected on 34 and 22-yard kicks and after a quarter of football, the Nittany Lions led 6-0 and Butler had amassed an astounding 112 yards receiving.
Kelly added a 33-yard field goal early in the second quarter before Northwestern posted their first points. Tyrell Sutton scored on a 1-yard run on fourth and goal to cut Penn State??s lead to 9-7.
To close the half, Morelli led the Lions on a 10-play, 79-yard drive and Tony Hunt executed a perfect one-yard dive over the pile for his third rushing touchdown of the season. The score gave Penn State a 16-7 lead going into the break.
| Paul Posluszny made 10 tackles, one for loss, and Dan Connor made three stops against Northwestern. |
The last three contests between the Nittany Lions and Wildcats had been decided by 10 points or less, with the winning points coming in the fourth quarter in all three games. Thanks to Kelly and Hunt, Penn State had today??s game well in hand before the fourth quarter even began.
Kelly??s 36-yard field goal capped Penn State??s first drive of the second half and the Lions extended their lead to 19-7. Hunt scored on a 14-yard touchdown run with two minutes remaining in the third quarter and after an interception by Sean Lee, who had six tackles, Hunt scored his third rushing touchdown of the game from six yards out. The Lions closed the third quarter with a 33-7 lead and neither team scored in the final frame.
The Penn State defense yielded just 81 yards rushing and 238 total yards; captain Paul Posluszny led the Lions with 10 tackles.
The Nittany Lions now lead the Wildcats 9-3 in a series that began in 1993 and Joe Paterno??s all-time coaching record improves to 357-119-3 in 41 years at Penn State.
This is the last meeting between Penn State and Northwestern until the 2009 season. The Wildcats rotate off the schedule and will not visit Beaver Stadium again until Oct. 30, 2010. In the middle of a four-game road trip, Northwestern next travels to Wisconsin to face the Badgers.
Penn State now travels to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the originally scheduled date. There had been a possibility of moving the game due to a conflict with Major League Baseball, but since the Minnesota Twins won the American League Central Division title on the final day of the season, no postponement is necessary.
Kickoff in the Metrodome is set for 12 p.m. EDT.