The game clock still showed more than six minutes when the chants of, "It's all over" started to rise from the student section.

They were long overdue.

Instead of the predicted slugfest, the record-setting Beaver Stadium crowd of 110,753 witnessed the biggest Penn State win since the Nittany Lions (2-0) defeated Miami in 1999 with Saturday's 40-7 win over No. 8 Nebraska (3-1).

The Penn State team that took the field appeared far different from the one that walked off after the opening week win against University of Central Florida and, for that matter, any Lions team in recent history.

Offensively, the team advanced the ball at will, with a revived running game and a brutally efficient passing game. Defensively, Penn State displayed the swarming style of play that has been absent during the past two losing seasons.

Before the game, the Lions talked a lot about this being a statement game for the direction of the program. With the dominating victory, the Lions rose 10 spots to No. 15 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and look poised to continue their ascent with upcoming games against lesser teams like Louisiana Tech and Iowa.

"I've been trying to tell people I think we have been pretty good the last eight, nine games," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "Obviously a win like this is something that makes them feel like they can be competitive with anybody."

The blowout final score fails to show how competitive Saturday's game was through the first half. Despite holding a 13-7 halftime lead, the Lions could have controlled the game had they finished two drives with touchdowns instead of settling for field goals.

Nevertheless, the Lions asserted themselves in the second half, coming out of the locker room with a 16 play, 80-yard drive. The drive featured quarterback Zack Mills, who finished the game with 259 yards on 19 completions to go along with 42 rushing yards.

Mills repeatedly found receiver Bryant Johnson open in the holes of the Cornhusker defense. The drive was capped by an eight-yard touchdown run on a reverse by Michael Robinson, who is still listed as a back-up quarterback despite being used as a tailback, fullback and running back. Robinson accumulated 56 yards and two scores on four carries.

"It feels good. This is the biggest game of my life," said Bryant Johnson, who finished with 147 receiving yards. "For us to go out there and perform the way we did, I think it's going to show the world we're back."

Not backing down, the Lions made their first strong defensive performance of the period as the tide turned for good when cornerback Rich Gardner picked off a pass by Nebraska quarterback Jammal Lord and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown.

By the end of the third quarter, Penn State had built up a 33-7 lead and quashed all of Nebraska's momentum with a stifling defense that never allowed the 'Huskers to sustain a drive.

"The fact they were able to establish momentum in the second half like they did was very tough, it was something to give them energy and confidence as the game went on and we did not do a lot to discourage that confidence," Nebraska coach Frank Solich said.

With the game well in hand, the Lions starting feeding the ball to tailback Larry Johnson, who had a career high 128 rushing yards with a pair of touchdowns on 19 carries. After giving a performance that left nothing but room for optimism for Penn State fans, the Lions knew they weren't the other word the crowd was chanting in the waning minutes: "Overrated."

"It was the rowdiest [crowd] since I've been here," Mills said. "It's been a long time since Penn State was 2-0. It's been a long time since the fans had something to cheer about."