EAST LANSING, MI - After each of his team's last two games, Penn State coach Joe Paterno praised his defense for the effort they gave in the second half.

He was so proud of the way they played and how they gave the Nittany Lions' offense the opportunity to either lengthen a lead or make a valiant comeback. But could you imagine just how ecstatic he would be if this unit decided to show up for two halves instead of just one?

Some of those extra gray hairs we've been noticing on coach's head are probably a direct result of that.

Last week, Antwaan Randle El and his mates from Indiana dashed and darted for over 500 yards of offense (many of which came in the first half), yet the Lions' defense buckled down and ultimately shut out the Hoosiers in the second 30 minutes of play. This past Saturday's contest against Michigan State proved to be quite similar.

First, the Spartans ground attack appeared to be unstoppable. Tailback/Sherman Tank T.J. Duckett stampeded his way to 94 yards on just 13 carries during the first half. OK, so the Lions aren't the first team Duckett has plowed through in just one half of football. After all he is one of the nation's most highly touted backs.

But even the Spartans reserves were getting in on the act. Little John Flowers looked like he was on his way to a big day as well after he chipped in with 47 first half yards on just seven carries. Heck, with the lack of effort the Lions' defense was giving in stopping the run, Robin Hood, Friar Tuck or Maid Merian could've made the Spartans ground game look good.

To make matters worse, the Penn State pass defense wasn't doing much better. By the time the first 30 minutes were complete, Michigan State's Jeff Smoker had completed 10-of-13 passes for 185 yards and two scores, both to the shifty Charles Rogers who accumulated 127 receiving yards in that same span of time.

At this point, Paterno knew it, his staff knew it and his players knew it. If the Lions were going to erase their 31-21 halftime deficit, they were going to have to do a big-time 180 on defense. Wonderboy Zack Mills and his comeback making abilities would only carry this team so far. Somehow, they did it again.

Now if you didn't watch the game and just looked at the final statistics, you'd probably guess that Michigan State won going away. Quite the contrary. After the halftime break, the Lions' offense continued to steadily move the ball and constantly found ways to get into the end zone. Still, it was the defense that wound up saving the day.

Although the Lions surrendered a total of 542 yards for the game, they made the plays when they counted the most (i.e. Bruce Branch's big hit on Chris Baker to cause a fumble late in the third quarter) and they gave up just six points in the second half. Who knows why this unit has taken 30 minutes before getting its act straight the past two weeks.

Maybe it needs that added halftime pep talk to rile their blood. Or perhaps, somewhere deep down inside their subconscious they want to give their fans a truly exhilarating nailbiter of a game that keeps 'em in their seats until the final whistle. Whatever the case may be, it's apparent this defense plays better when its back is against the wall. Why?

We may never know. All we do know is that it has only allowed a grand total of six points in the past two second halves to help the Lions a) preserve a win over an obviously quality team and b) allow the offense set the stage for another improbable comeback.

As I said before, Paterno would go absolutely bananas if this unit could play for 60 minutes. For now, it's evident 30 is just enough largely because of the resurgence of the Lions' offense. But when the old Penn State 'D' starts playing for a full game, opponents beware. It's extremely difficult to tame 11 fired-up Lions.