PENN STATE FOOTBALL

Late blitz alters tone of crazy afternoon

Jeff Rice

This was Dennis Landolt's fourth quarter on Saturday:

AP

Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka runs with the ball during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Penn State's Sean Lee (45) in Evanston, Ill., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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• Persa thrown into fire against familiar opponent
• Lions make adjustments up front
• Roar in the fourth
• Lions avoid eerie situations in Evanston

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• Block for five plays, which covered 55 yards and resulted in a Penn State touchdown. Return to sideline.

• Block for one play, which resulted in a 53-yard touchdown. Return to sideline.

• Block for one play, which resulted in a 69-yard touchdown. Return to sideline.

• It made it easy on us,” the senior left tackle said, laughing.

The fourth-quarter fireworks in a 34-13 win over Northwestern gave the Nittany Lions (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten) plenty of reasons to smile even if the first half, mostly dominated by the erratic Wildcats (5-4, 2-3), didn’t. They also showed once again the quick-strike ability of the most balanced offense in the conference, which will need to be just as effective, for all four quarters, when Ohio State visits Beaver Stadium at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Before talk turns to the most anticipated game on Penn State’s schedule, if it hasn’t already, let’s revisit another blustery and bizarre afternoon at Ryan Field.

The Good

•In D.C. They Trust. Daryll Clark has never been in finer form than he has during the last month of the season. The senior quarterback is making every throw in the book, mixing in just enough running to keep defenses honest and taking to heart the first commandment of Joe and Jay — taking what the defense gives him. Clark’s offensive line gets a shoutout here, too — he’s been sacked just three times in the last five games.

•Lebanon’s finest. You have to wonder what offensive coordinators say or think when they realize they must devise a way to block Jared Odrick that week. Penn State’s senior defensive tackle had another monster game Saturday, recording five solo tackles, a sack and a blocked field goal. Odrick is changing plays before and after the snap and showing few signs of slowing down.

•Free to be Lee. Joe Paterno says Sean Lee “doesn’t quite do a couple things he will do as soon as he gets a little more confidence,” but the senior linebacker did enough to make 10 solo tackles and two assists Saturday. If Lee’s left knee isn’t 100 percent, it’s been good enough at 80 or 90 percent to make him one of the defense’s best weapons since his return.

The Bad

•Drop shop. Graham Zug could have easily made it five touchdown catches in two weeks had he held on to a first-quarter strike from Clark in the end zone and not let another pass go off his hands just before halftime. Zug can’t be expected to catch everything that comes his way — even though, until Saturday, he practically had this season — but those were two that will stay with him for a while.

•Not their specialty. Penn State has had its share of triumphs and tribulations on special teams this season, but something was in the water Saturday. The Nittany Lions had 12 men on the field during a punt return play, extending a Northwestern drive, then had 10 men on the field during a Stefan Demos field goal later in the half. Even punter Jeremy Boone struggled to obtain his customary hang time, lasering a pair of punts into the end zone.

•Stuck in second gear. Evan Royster has hit the 100-yard mark in each of the last two weeks (100 yards on 20 carries against Michigan, 118 yards on 15 carries against Northwestern), but only thanks to a big run (41 yards vs. Michigan, 69 yards against Northwestern) in both cases. The Nittany Lions will need to have a more consistent running attack to have the balance they’ll need to move the ball and score on Ohio State’s defense.

The Rest

Penn State moved up one spot to No. 11 in the BCS standings, one spot to No. 11 in the Associated Press poll and stayed at No. 10 in the USA Today poll. … Clark is now third on Penn State’s career total offense list with 5,453 yards, trailing only Zack Mills and Tony Sacca. … Royster moved past Eric McCoo into 11th place on the Nittany Lions’ career rushing list. … North-western’s 13 first-half points were the most allowed by Penn State in the opening two quarters since USC scored 31 in the first half of the Rose Bowl in January. … Walk-on linebacker James Van Fleet recorded three solo tackles on special teams.