Penn State Football: Nittany Lions’ 34-24 Win Gives Paterno No. 408

When Joe Paterno needs a milestone win against Northwestern, quarterback Matt McGloin goes the extra mile to get it for him.

In his first start of 2011, McGloin completed 17 of 26 passes for 192 yards – and two first-half touchdown passes – to lead Penn State past Northwestern, 34-24, on Saturday night.

Silas Redd had a big hand in the victory, rushing for 164 yards on 18 carries after gaining 119 yards in the first half.

It was Redd’s fourth consecutive 100-yard game, the sophomore Nittany Lion running back having rushed for 129 (Indiana), 142 (Iowa) and 131 yards (Purdue) the previous three weeks.

“It’s about time we started to help our defense out,” McGloin said. “As a quarterback, I’m lucky to have Silas as a running back and the team is lucky to have him. He makes my job so much easier. He makes Coach  (Paterno’s) job so much easier. He can explode at anytime.”

The win was Paterno’s 408th in his 46 years as Penn State’s head coach, tying him with the late Eddie Robinson of Grambling as the second-winningest coach in college football history.

Paterno remains far behind John Gagliardi of Saint John’s University (Minn.), who won his 481st game on Saturday as his Johnnies defeated Gustavus Adolphus, 24-16, before a crowd of 1,963 in St. Peter, Minn.

Meanwhile, before a crowd of 40,004 in Evanston, Ill., Paterno — still recovering from injuries suffered in a preseason practice collision – watched from the Ryan Field press box as his team won its sixth straight game. The win raises Penn State’s record to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten.

LEADERS DIVISION LEADER

Penn State is in the driver’s seat in the conference’s Leaders Division race. Previously-undefeated Wisconsin is now 2-1 in the Big Ten (and 6-1 overall) after its stunning, game-ending, official-overturned 37-31 loss to Michigan State on a Hail Mary pass by MSU’s Kirk Cousins.

Illinois also lost on Saturday, falling 21-14 at Purdue, to drop its conference record to 2-2 and 6-2 overall. Penn State hosts the Illini on Saturday in Beaver Stadium at 3:30 p.m.

So now, after eight weeks of the 2011 season, the standings of the Big Ten’s Leaders Division looks like this:

1 – Penn State, 4-0 Big Ten, 7-1 overall

2 – Wisconsin, 2-1, 6-1

3 – Purdue, 2-1, 4-3

4 – Illinois, 2-2, 6-2

5 – Ohio State, 1-2, 4-3

6 – Indiana, 0-4, 1-7

The winner of the division faces the winner of the Legends Division in the Big Ten Championship game on Dec. 3 in Indianapolis, Ind. After Illinois, Penn State has a bye week, followed by Nebraska (Nov. 12, home) and away games at Ohio State (Nov. 19) and Wisconsin (Nov. 26).

REDD AND BIG RED…AGAIN

In 2010, Redd and McGloin both played a big part in earning Paterno another big victory, also against Northwestern. Fifty weeks and eight wins ago, Penn State overcame a 21-0 deficit vs. the Wildcats in a night game at Beaver Stadium to win 35-21.

That win on Nov. 6, 2010, gave Paterno victory No. 400. McGloin threw four TD passes in that game, and Redd ran for 131 yards, complementing the 134 rushing yards of Evan Royster.

“I was happy to be part of 400,” Redd said Saturday night in a post-game interview with the Big Ten Network. “I was happy to get another one for him tonight. I hope we get him some more.”

On Saturday night, Penn State led 27-24 at halftime, then added to its lead over Northwestern (2-5, 0-4) in the third quarter when Redd ran 19 yards for a score. Anthony Fera kicked the PAT, and Penn State’s 34-24 margin held the rest of the way.

McGloin, who has six TD passes in two games against the Wildcats, played every snap under center for the Nittany Lions on Saturday. Rob Bolden, who started the first seven games of 2011, did not play.

“I was really excited to be part of something that special for Coach Paterno,” McGloin said. “It’s a real credit to the whole team.”

SECOND HALF SHUTDOWN

That includes the Nittany Lion defense – at least for the second half. Penn State’s defense had back-to-back sacks three times to help offset the dynamic Northwestern quarterbacking duo of Dan Persa and Kain Colter.

Persa completed 26 of 34 passes for 294 yards, with a 12-yard scoring pass to Colter and a third-quarter interception by Penn State’s Gerald Hodges. Colter ran nine times for 51 yards, including a four-yard TD run.

The first half was an offensive explosion, with the two teams combining for 574 yards, 51 points and just one punt. Overall, Penn State had 389 yards of total offense, while Northwestern had 406.

But the Wildcats were held without a point in the second half.

Hodges paced Penn State’s defense, with 14 tackles and the interception, which set up the Nittany Lions’ only score in the second half. Penn State had seven sacks – 2 by Jordan Hill, 1.5 by Hodges, 1 by Sean Stanley, 1 by Jack Crawford, 1 by Devon Still and .5 by Chaz Powell.

The game really turned in the third quarter, when the Nittany Lion defense stopped the Wildcats on three straight drives – including a three-and-out that held NU to a single yard. With Northwestern driving the ball early in the third quarter – on the tail end of an eight-play, 62-yard drive – Hodges intercepted Persa and returned the pick for 63 yards.

One play later, Redd took a pitch right from McGloin and raced 19 yards for a touchdown. Fera’s PAT gave Penn State the lead, 34-24, which held for the rest of the night.

The third quarter has belonged to Penn State in 2011; the Lions have yielded just nine third-quarter points in eight games this season.

FIRST HALF RECAP: PENN STATE 27, NORTHWESTERN 24

Penn State’s offense had the ball for five possessions in the first half – and scored on all five. The Lions need to, too.

In his first start of the 2011 season, McGloin completed 14 of 19 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns, and led the Lions to a pair of field goals and a second quarter-ending TD drive as well. All in the first half.

With just 46 seconds left in the second quarter, the Nittany Lions covered 63 yards in seven plays. The key play on the drive was a 42-yard run by Redd. An 11-yard pass from McGloin to Smith set up a one-yard TD run by Stephfon Green.

Fera’s PAT gave Penn State a 27-24 halftime lead.

Redd already had his fourth straight 100-yard game by halftime, carrying 11 times for 119 yards. Smith led all PSU receivers, with five catches for 88 yards.

In the first half, the Northwestern QB duo of Persa and Colter shredded the Nittany Lion defense, leading the Wildcats on scoring drives of 70, 87, 75 and 72 yards. The first three drives all went for TDs.

Penn State scored twice in the first quarter, on a 4-yard touchdown pass from McGloin to Justion Brown – his first of the year – and a 45-yard McGloin TD pass to Smith.

Fera added field goals of 37 and 33 yards for the Nittany Lions.

The Penn State defense, which netted the game ranked sixth in the nation in fewest points allowed (11.6 per game), had no solution to the Persa-Colter pairing.

Persa completed 12 of 15 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown pass to Colter, while Colter ran for 61 yards on four carries, with a TD on the ground as well. Colter completed 2 of 2 passes for 18 yards.

Northwestern opened the scoring in the first quarter, after Penn State’s Chaz Powell fumbled the opening kickoff. Northwestern quickly turned the miscue into a score, when Persa capped a 7-play, 70-yard drive with a one-yard TD run.

McGloin answered with his two TD passes for a 14-7 Penn State lead, but Northwestern came back with an 87-yard drive capped by Persa’s 12 –yard touchdown pass to Colter.

After a Fera field goal for a 17-14 PSU lead, Colter scored from four yards out to cap a 75-yard Northwestern drive that gave NU a 21-17 lead.

Fera’s second field goal pulled the Lions to within 21-20, but Northwestern countered with Jeff Budzien’s 25-yard field goal at the tail end of a nine-play, 72-yard drive.