Lions tamed by 'Cats

21-10 win keeps Northwestern on top

EVANSTON, Ill. -- As thousands of euphoric students rushed unabated toward the towering white goalposts, eventually tugging mightily enough to disengage the massive structures, the pillars stood secure.

After Penn State's 21-10 defeat at the hands of the Wildcats (8-1, 6-0) Saturday at a sold-out Dyche Stadium, the Lions (6-3, 3-3) will attempt to keep a season from crashing to the earth.

On the strength of three Darnell Autry touchdown runs and a relentless pass rush that consistently crippled Penn State's offensive attack, Northwestern captured the win, positioning itself for a potential Rose Bowl berth.

For the Nittany Lions, postseason possibilities are shrouded in uncertainty.

"We got beaten by a better football team today," Coach Joe Paterno said. "We gave it our best shot. We did everything we could, but we couldn't come up with the plays, and they did."

Autry, Northwestern's tantalizing tailback, erupted in the most enormous moments of the afternoon. A 23-yard fourth quarter sideline romp set up a first down at the one, and on the next play, the sophomore handed the Wildcats a 21-10 advantage.

The featured backfield superstar rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns but averaged less than four yards per carry. Still, when the Wildcats needed production in the final quarter, Autry delivered. His final touchdown capped a back-breaking 80-yard scoring march.

"We just told our offense that we needed to have one of our patented drives and get some rest for our defense," Northwestern Coach Gary Barnett said of the sequence.

The respite was necessitated by defense-deflating, time-chewing drive by the Penn State offense. But most importantly, after 18 plays and eight minutes, 17 seconds of possession, the scoreboard remained unchanged.

Kicker Brett Conway lined up for a seemingly routine 27-yard field goal, after an ill-timed holding penalty stalled the offense. The junior boomed a high kick that appeared to sneak inside the upright, but the officials thought otherwise -- much to the dismay of the Penn State contingency.

"It was good. Everybody thought it was good, and the only one that didn't think it was good was the ref," Conway said. "You could clearly, clearly see daylight between the ball and the goalpost."

Instead of a one-point deficit and the Wildcats on the ropes, Penn State remained four points behind following the interminable offensive outing.

The missed opportunity proved deadly as the Lions would never be so close again. On the following possession, Autry entered the end zone for the last time.

Penn State's third Big Ten setback was largely caused by an inability to capitalize on crucial scoring chances, particularly on the monster drive. Northwestern's unstoppable pass rush, responsible for five sacks, was a major reason why.

"Their pass rush was the biggest difference in the game," Paterno said. "They blitzed on downs and distance and it was predictable, but they did it very well. We were just not good enough to handle it."

When quarterback Wally Richardson wasn't taken to the turf, he was pressured, forcing incompletions and hurried throws. The redshirt junior persevered though, hitting on 18-of-29 tosses for 129 yards.

With Penn State trailing by 14 late in the second quarter, Richardson was at his best, completing six of seven passes for 41 yards. He ended the half on a high note, hitting tight end Keith Olsommer from five yards out, closing the gap to 14-7.

The quarterback's task was made more difficult because of an injury to split end Bobby Engram. The All-American bruised his hand in practice last week and competed despite severe soreness.

"I got it banged up pretty good, but I was able to go tonight," he said. "It was sore to play with, but I was able to fight through that."

Although the hand was hurting, hampering him throughout the contest, Engram managed four receptions for 46 yards. Flanker Freddie Scott also corralled four passes.

In the waning minutes, with Penn State needing to move the ball downfield, Northwestern's defense toughened. The Lions failed to score but fought on, forcing a turnover that kept hope alive.

Linebacker Gerald Filardi tipped a pass by Northwestern quarterback Steve Schnur and cornerback Brian Miller swooped in for the interception. Penn State couldn't capitalize, and five plays later, punter Darrell Kania kicked away again.

The miscue was rare for Schnur, only his third of the season. The baby-faced quarterback was never sacked and led an efficient aerial assault, completing 10 of 16 passes for just 96 yards. More importantly though, his squad emerged 11 points superior.

"We didn't underestimate them in any way," Scott said. "We just basically killed ourselves. We had a chance to win this game... and we just didn't capitalize."

With two games remaining and a bye week upcoming, Penn State can muse over missed opportunities. What remains to be done, working to stay alive for a New Year's Day bowl game that has become a tenuous possibility, is the final challenge.