PSU 13, Ohio 6 By JADE HERBST STAFF WRITER JKH 185-@PSU.EDU It might be the season of Penn State's offense, but the Nittany Lions' huge defense proved to be the difference in the win at Ohio State. The Saturday night game against Ohio State and Penn State in Ohio proved to be yet another Paterno victory. The first quarter started off slow with neither team scoring. However, the second quarter dropped PSU on the board. Kicker Kevin Kelly came through with the first three points in the game. But so did the Buckeyes, with 0:18 seconds left Pettrey converted a field goal with a high snap tying the game right before the half. While Paterno stayed in the press box, the Lions prepared for the second half. While the Lions defense was holding, Ohio managed a 6-3 lead with 3:19 seconds remaining. This was the turn around the Nittany Lions needed. Late in the third quarter, Clark gained seven yards on a run to the right to start the Lions next possession. With a hit from 300-pound Nadar Abdallah and Camerion Hayward of Ohio State, Clark finished his play and was taken to the sidelines to be medically examined. His helmet came off and we soon saw the Penn State quarterback of the night out for the game. Penn State's quarterback was gone, Kelly had missed the field goal, and we were behind. What a chance now, Ohio State? Not so fast, with the biggest mistake of the night, Tyrell Pryor, the superstar who came from PA and snubbed PSU for Ohio State, attempted to bounce a third-and-one sneak outside to the right. But you can't fool Penn State. We may not have played great up until this point, but the Lions kept their heads up. Good news for Mark Rubin, who flew at Pryor only to knock the ball from his possession. After a crowd screeching halt, the ball was loose and bouncing among the players for seemingly too long. Finally at Ohio State's 38, linebacker Navorro Bowman recovered the fumble for Penn State. With possession, the Lions slowly but surely made it to a touchdown on third-and-goal, changing the score 10-6. With the Lions in the lead, and only 4:31 left in the game, Ohio State managed their second biggest mistake of the night, face-mask penalty moving the game 15 yards into Ohio State territory. Photo by JOE HERMIT/The Patriot News Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark celebrates a 13-6 victory over Ohio State. With the new quarterback on the play, Pat Devlin moved the rest of the game like a piece of cake. With another sneak on second-and- one, Devlin moved another 2:24 seconds off the clock, leaving Kelly for his 72nd career field goal attempt. With success and just about two minutes on the clock, Penn State was seven points ahead the Buckeyes. It was over when Lydell Sargeant intercepted Pryor's throw at the goal line with 0:27 seconds left on the clock. Even though Penn State fans were still biting their nails, the Lions seemingly pulled out a win of Please see LIONS on page 20 W . W•n - r'TIMM PSU remains undefeated after Ohio game By RUSTY MILLER AP SPORTS WRITER COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) A late turnover and a second-team quarterback made the difference for Penn State. For a change, everything went right for Joe Patent() and the Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium. Pat Devlin came off the bench for injured starting quarterback Daryll Clark in the fourth quarter and led two scoring drives, sneaking in for the go-ahead touchdown to give No. 3 Penn State a 13-6 victory over No. 10 Ohio State on Saturday night. "How many times have I told you Pat Devlin is a heck of a quarterback?" coach Joe Paterno said after his 381st career victory. "We're lucky to have two quarterbacks." Devlin was stunned to be called upon. Asked what was wrong with Clark, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "I have no idea. They just told me to go in." The win put the Nittany Lions (9-0, 5-0) in command in the Big Ten and severely crimped the chances of the Buckeyes (7-2, 41) grabbing an unprecedented third consecutive outright league title and a piece of their fourth conference championship in a Penn State, with Paterno coaching from the press box for the fourth straight game, solidified its position as a national championship contender and also erased the ugly memories of an 0- 7 mark in Columbus since joining the Big Ten in 1993. Penn State's previous victory in Columbus came in 1978 also when a freshman quarterback (Art Schlichter) made critical mistakes and the Nittany Lions pounced on them. "One turnover was the ballgame," Patemo said. "We played the game we had to play." Defenses controlled most of the game before an Ohio Stadium record crowd of 105,711. Ohio State had the ball and a three-point lead when Terrelle Pryor fumbled, defensive back Mark Rubin using his left hand to knock the ball away as the freshman quarterback carried on a third-and-I early in the fourth quarter. "I just didn't want to let him get the first down," Rubin said. "I tired to square up and push him back. I'm not going to lie: I just happened to get my hand on the ball and was able to bounce it out." Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman fell on the loose ball at the Buckeyes 38. "(I was saying) 'We need a Nov. 5 2008 turnover, we need a turnover,'" Bowman said. "We got one and that's what I believe got us the victory." Pryor was disconsolate. "I can't explain this," he said. "I just didn't hold the ball. I saw the end zone. It was there and the ball just fell out. I thought I was on my way to a touchdown but I just lost the ball. As soon as I fumbled it, I knew they would score." Immediately, the Nittany Lions were at a disadvantage as Clark remained on the sideline. He was meeting with team doctors. Paterno later said that Clark had a minor head injury, although the coach said he had not spoken with his medical personnel. In stepped Devlin, who had seen action in seven games but had only been on the field for 45 plays. He led a seven-play, 38-yard drive that took 4:13 and ended with his touchdown giving Penn State a 10-6 lead. The big play in the march came on third-and-2 at the Ohio State 6 when Royster skirted right end, tiptoeing along the sideline for a 4- yard gain and the first down. Three plays later, Devlin scored on his second straight keeper and Kevin Kelly converted the point after for a 10-6 lead with 6:25 left. Penn State's defense then forced an Ohio State punt, and Royster promptly went for 3, 10 and 9 yards on his first three carries before Devlin sneaked for a first down at the Ohio State 24. While the Buckeyes were using all their timeouts, the Nittany Lions continued to stick to the ground. Finally, they let the clock rim down until Kelly converted a 35-yard field goal with 1:07 left to push the lead to 13-6. Ohio State had one last chance. Taking over at their own 20, Pryor hit Ray Small for gains of 23 and 14 yards to the Penn State 43 with just over 30 seconds left. But Pryor's long pass to the goal line was intercepted by cornerback Lydell Sargeant with 27 seconds left. Paterno couldn't celebrate with his players. At least not right away. Penn State's coach for the past Please see VICTORY on page 20
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