Just as the ball hit Germany's hands, Adams stuck his shoulder into the midsection of the Ohio State receiver and separated his body from the ball.

As the pigskin bounced toward the sideline, Adams stood over Germany — triumphant.

With one hit, Adams laid to rest the memories of last season's loss in Columbus, Ohio, and gave every Penn State senior a lasting impression of the No. 2 Nittany Lions 23-10 victory Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

"They beat us last year and we remember it," Penn State senior linebacker Brandon Short said. "Personally, they have been my biggest rival since I have been here, so it just feels good to get the win."

The Lions got the win courtesy of two elements that had been missing in action since early in the season — an aggressive defense and a consistent running game.

The latter was better known as Penn State tailback Eric McCoo.

On the Lions' second play from scrimmage, McCoo set the tone for Penn State's rushing dominance. He found a seam on the right side of the line of scrimmage, picked up a block from fullback Mike Cerimele and motored 53 yards downfield until he was brought down by Buckeyes defensive end James Cotton at the 6-yard line.

That run set up the Lions' first score of the day as quarterback Kevin Thompson, who left the game in the second quarter with a mild separation in his throwing shoulder, hit Cerimele on a screen pass two plays later.

It also set up a week full of heckling for McCoo.

Despite finishing the game with a career-high 211 yards rushing, McCoo's inability to get in the end zone on his first big run of the day will be the thing remembered most by his teammates.

"That doesn't bother me, it's part of the game," McCoo said. "I expect stuff for the rest of the week. I might have ran out of gas on the 20-yard line, but, hey, things happen."

Led by outside linebacker LaVar Arrington, the Penn State defense made things happen.

Courtesy of an aggressive pass rush, the five different Lions were able to sack Bellisari eight times. All-Big Ten tailback Michael Wiley was held to a season-low 18 yards rushing on 10 carries. Ohio State completed less than 33 percent of its passes and was intercepted once by Lions safety James Boyd.

When the clock had expired, Penn State's defense held the Buckeyes to just 143 yards of total offense and opened the eyes of the Buckeyes coaching staff — but apparently not their mouths.