Richardson leads Lions on final drive

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- It was a monumental march, totaling 73 yards in one minute, 37 seconds.

A game-winning touchdown pass in dramatic fashion became the defining moment of quarterback Wally Richardson's Penn State career.After an outing that was mediocre at times, subpar at others, and downright ugly throughout, Richardson rebounded, leading the Lions to a 24-20 triumph Saturday over Michigan State.

"I think we have to get Wally this little visor that says fourth quarter, five minutes left," tight end Keith Olsommer said. "Because I tell you what, when the pressure's on, Wally Richardson has been key for us all year. Today just proved it again."

Trailing 20-17 with 1:45 remaining, Penn State stood seemingly miles away from an end zone celebration. Without entering the glorious territory in lightning-like fashion, a season already disappointing to some, was on the verge of becoming an outright disaster to many. But Richardson emerged. Completing short dump-offs to backs Brian Milne, Mike Archie, and three other receivers, Richardson led the troops toward paydirt inch by inch and yard by yard.

Conserving time on every play, the Lions managed to move quickly without the benefit of a time-out. Though he struggled early, faith in the quarterback never wavered.

"Wally will throw a perfect ball and I'll drop it -- should he lose confidence in me?" split end Bobby Engram said. "It's a two-way street."

But it took help, and Engram was there to provide it. Richardson found the senior twice in the sequence, once on third down and then on Penn State's last offensive snap, culminating in a heart-stopping four-yard touchdown connection.

Though the 11-of-15 effort on the drive and subsequent four-point victory was the bottom line, the majority of the afternoon bore no resemblance to the ending.

Richardson faced pressure early, but even with ample time, the quarterback was victimized by poor throws or dropped passes. His first half statistics told the tale, and the 6-for-15, two-interception effort was an accurate indication of the trouble he endured.

"I think he's got to learn to take ball games over right away," Coach Joe Paterno said. "He's been a great second half quarterback all year."

Paterno refers to late-game heroics against Texas Tech and Purdue. In both instances, Richardson overcame difficulties to help eek out victories in pressure situations.

But much of Saturday afternoon saw Richardson struggle with passes that should have been completed. At times, normally sure-handed receivers dropped catchable balls. Still, Richardson hit on 24-of-45 passes, giving him 193 completions on the year, breaking Kerry Collins mark of 176.

In the final seconds, with victory hanging in the balance, all 59:47 of football already in the books meant nothing. It was a young quarterback in a game-winning situation, and the signal caller persevered.

"I wish it didn't come down to that," Richardson said.

"But I'm just glad that when I've been put in those situations, I've been able to come through."

And in the end, despite an afternoon filled with adversity, that was all he wanted.