Nittany Lions Take Fight out of Illini and Win 26-12Nittany Lions Take Fight out of Illini and Win 26-12

Nittany Lions Take Fight out of Illini and Win 26-12

Scirrotto intercepted two passes and scored a fourth quarter touchdown on an onside kick return.


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; October 21, 2006 - The Nittany Lions had their hands full with a scrappy Illinois football team but pulled out a 26-12 win for the Homecoming weekend crowd of 108,112 at Beaver Stadium.

Illinois outgained Penn State 358 yards to 184, but the Lions picked up the win with strong defense and outstanding special teams play.

Anthony Scirrotto (West Deptford, N.J.) had two interceptions and an onside kick return for a touchdown, Paul Posluszny (Aliquippa, Pa.) recorded 13 tackles and forced a fumble that led to a Tony Davis (Warren, Ohio) touchdown and Jeremy Kapinos (Springfield, Va.) punted eight times for a whopping 365 yards of field position that crippled the Illini offense. Kapinos is now Penn State??s all-time career punt yardage leader.

The win, the centerpiece of Penn State??s 87th Homecoming weekend, gives the Nittany Lions a 61-20-5 record in Homecoming games including a 36-5 mark under Joe Paterno.

Normally a win is a win, but Coach Paterno was dissatisfied. ??The defense kept us in there until Illinois gave us a couple of easy ones,?? said Paterno after the game. ??We were lousy. Can I get that across? L-o-u-s-y.??

Before most fans were even settled in their seats, the Lions received the opening kickoff and scored in just six plays. Kevin Kelly (Langhorne, Pa.) kicked a 49-yard field goal that tied a career high and gave Penn State a quick 3-0 lead just three minutes into the game. It was only the second time all season that the Lions scored on their opening drive.

Illinois tied things up at the end of the first quarter and grabbed the lead at the start of the second. Jason Reda??s 41-yard field goal knotted the game at 3-3 with 2:29 to play in the first period. Then, after Rashard Mendenhall ripped off a 79-yard run to the Penn State 10-yard line ?C the longest run against a Nittany Lion team in more than 30 years ?C Reda put the Illini ahead 6-3 with a 21-yard field goal.

Paul Posluszny again led the Lions on defense, making 13 tackles and a sack.

Later in the second frame, Brit Miller??s interception off a tipped Morelli pass put the Illini in scoring position again. The Penn State defense held, allowing Illinois just three plays, minus-4 total yards and another Reda field goal which gave the visitors a 9-3 lead.

Penn State had one more chance to score before halftime but Kelly??s 44-yard attempt with 4:43 remaining in the first half sailed wide right. At the end of the first half, Illinois had 209 total yards to Penn State??s 96 but the Illini lead was just six points.

In the second half, Penn State turned the contest into a game of field position and ultimately took control by forcing three turnovers in an 11-play span in the third quarter.

During Illinois??s first offensive possession after halftime, Scirrotto intercepted Isiah Williams and returned the turnover 30 yards to midfield.

The Lions were forced to punt, but Kapinos pinned Illinois at their 2-yard line with the kick. The Penn State defense held again and the Lions took over on the Illinois 34-yard line. Six plays later Anthony Morelli (Pittsburgh, Pa.) found Kevin Darling (Springfield, Va.) on a play action pass and the senior tight end??s first career touchdown gave the Nittany Lions a 10-9 lead with 7:33 remaining in the third quarter. The Lions did not trail again.

57 seconds later, the Lions were back in the endzone. Posluszny forced Williams to scramble and fumble; Davis scooped up the loose ball and took it six yards for a touchdown. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Lions led 17-9.

The Nittany Lion defense played like superheroes against Illinois on Homecoming.

Reda??s fourth field goal of the game drew the Illini to within five points just minutes into the fourth quarter, 17-12, but it was all the offense Illinois could muster in the final period.

Penn State scored twice with less than two minutes to play to put the win on ice. On Illinois??s penultimate drive, Dan Connor (Wallingford, Pa.) sacked Williams in the end zone for a safety, giving the Lions a 19-12 lead. On the ensuing onside kick attempt, Scirrotto cemented his player-of-the-game status by returning the kick 29 yards for a touchdown that ended the scoring.

??It felt great,?? said Scirrotto of his first career touchdown. ??I saw a huge hole and I knew I was going to score. I was not about to let anyone bring me down.??

Penn State now leads the all-time series 12-2 over Illinois, including a 10-1 mark since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten in 1993. Joe Paterno owns a record of 359-120-3 in 41 years as Penn State??s head coach and he improves to 2-0 all-time against Ron Zook.

The victory points the Nittany Lions in the right direction heading into consecutive road games against Purdue and Wisconsin.

The Lions and Boilermakers kick off at noon Eastern Time in West Lafayette next week. Illinois travels to Madison to face the Wisconsin Badgers.