Don’t look now, but Joe Paterno and Penn State are now the team in front of the Big Ten Leaders Division, with Wisconsin needing to play catch-up.
Penn State played a back and forth game with Northwestern in a prime time game on the road and made the halftime adjustments needed to return home with a Big Ten win. Penn State shutout Dan Persa and the Wildcats in the second half and managed to hold on for a key win in Evanston, 34-24.
The key notes from Saturday’s win include Matt McGloin finally starting, and playing every offensive play under center for Penn State and Joe Paterno tied the legendary Eddie Robinson for most career coaching wins, with 408. For Paterno, it is likely the last significant milestone he will reach and pass in his career, as Division 3 St. John’s (Minnesota) John Gagliardi is currently active and winning games, picking up his 481st on Saturday. It was almost a repeat of last season the way Penn State rallied with a late first half touchdown and shut out the Wildcats in the second half to pick up Paterno’s 400th career victory.
McGloin had a decent outing as Penn State’s full-time quarterback. His two touchdown passes helped keep Penn State on pace with Northwestern, who came out flying all over the field against a lagging Penn State defense. Persa put up nearly 300 passing yards against Penn State but when it came to crunch time it was Penn State’s defense who came up with the big plays, with seven team sacks and a key interception by Gerald Hodges to set up Silas redd for an easy touchdown run. Redd had a career high in the running game, rushing for 164 yards. Fifth year senior Stephfon Green also got in to the mix, with a rushing touchdown of his own.
Penn State started this season as a mystery to many but had the potential to get in to November in position to control their own destiny in the Big Ten. After a couple expected wins against Indiana and Purdue, knocking the Iowa monkey off their shoulders and a tough road win at Northwestern and a little help in East Lansing, Penn State is now in front of the pack with four huge games left on the schedule. And don’t forget that the lone blemish on the schedule for Paterno’s team is against Alabama. But this team is still left trying to silence critics and naysayers.
Next week Penn State will host Illinois, who has fallen back to earth with losses to Ohio State and Purdue (!). If Penn State can get their revenge at home for a loss in Beaver Stadium last year then they will head in to the bye week with an 8-1 record with games against Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin remaining.
Sure, the second half of the schedule looks to be a bear for a Penn State offense playing, temporarily, without their top wide receiver (Derek Moye) and a quarterback position that Paterno has still failed to commit to. Paterno was asked if McGloin had officially taken over the job and he said that he still believes McGloin and Bolden are equipped for the job. It looks as though the decision has been made but it should be noted that Paterno never said it had been finalized. Just another thing to watch for over the next week.
Few would argue that Penn State should be in the conversation of “best one-loss teams” but with for Penn State they can secure a BCS bid with just one loss, because that would mean they would win the Big Ten championship.
For Penn State it is time to man up if they truly want to be taken seriously.
Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB.
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