CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- It had all come down to this: Penn State's explosive offense against Illinois' stingy defense. The Big Ten's No. 1 offense against the Big Ten's No. 1 defense.
It was exactly the matchup everybody had come to see. With six minutes, seven seconds remaining in the game, Penn State had the ball on its own 4-yard line.
If Coach Joe Paterno's troops marched 96 yards into Illinois' end zone, they would win. If not, they wait one more week to clinch a Rose Bowl bid.
But 14 plays later, Penn State fullback Brian Milne plunged into the end zone, capping off the Nittany Lions' 35-31 come-from-behind victory Saturday over Illinois (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) at Memorial Stadium in front of 72,364.
Fans of the Fighting Illini were in disbelief. It was their offense that had been suspect all season, but never their beloved defense. Penn State (9-0, 6-0) managed to mount a classic game-winning drive. Illinois' defense had faltered.
"We just needed to shut them down on that final drive," Illinois linebacker Dana Howard said, "but we didn't."
Perhaps Illinois linebacker Simeon Rice summed it up best.
"This game was a classic case of should've, would've, could've," he said.
Just like in a classic prizefight, the Fighting Illini had the Nittany Lions up against the ropes, but couldn't deliver the knockout blow. Illinois wasn't able to stop Penn State's offensive juggernaut when it mattered most.
Surprisingly, it was Illinois' offense that burst out of the gate quickly. After Penn State tailback Ki-Jana Carter fumbled the ball on the third play of the Lions' opening drive, Illinois running back Ty Douthard took over, bulldozing through Penn State's defense.
On the Fighting Illini's fifth play of the game, Douthard scored on a 1-yard run. Five minutes, 10 seconds later, Illinois scored again as quarterback Johnny Johnson connected with tight end Ken Dilger on a 1-yard touchdown pass.
Right before the first quarter ended, the Fighting Illini scored once again. Johnson found Shane Fisher wide open in the end zone and threw a 12-yard scoring strike.
Suddenly, the No. 2 team in the country was trailing by three touchdowns -- the largest deficit Penn State had faced all season.
"After the third touchdown, their eyes opened up," Douthard said of Penn State. "They were shocked."
Finally, with 5:26 left in the second quarter, Penn State came to life. Much to the dismay of Illinois' defense, Milne scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.
Before the end of the first half, both Penn State and the Fighting Illini scored another touchdown.
As Paterno trotted into the locker room at halftime, he scratched his head. His team looked stunned.
"At halftime, we were saying 'Remember Michigan State. Anything can happen. Don't give up,' " Lion tight end Kyle Brady said.
In the second half, something did happen. Penn State woke up. The Nittany Lion defense clamped down, allowing only a field goal. And Paterno's offense, led by quarterback Kerry Collins, started the brilliant domination that it had enjoyed in the first eight games.
"This is as good an offense as any I've seen since we played the great Nebraska teams when I was at Colorado," said Illinois Coach Lou Tepper, who was a Colorado assistant from 1983-87. "They can strike so quickly."
Touchdowns by Carter and Milne pulled Penn State right back into the game with 6:07 remaining. And then came the drive, engineered by Collins.
As time expired on Illinois' hopes of an upset, the Nittany Lions celebrated. They now owned the longest current winning streak (14 games) in the country. They were Rose Bowl bound.
And they had proven that defenses don't always win championships.
