MADISON, Wis. -- Suddenly, the fate of the Nittany Lions' season didn't look so bad after all.

The loss to Iowa last week could be seen as an aberration, and Penn State's early season attitude of a team destined to succeed became real again.

Coming off the field at Camp Randall Stadium Saturday, Penn State (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) was reassured after its 34-31 victory against Wisconsin (5-1, 0-1) -- the Lions' 50th Big Ten win since joining the conference in 1993.

The offense was again viable. The defense, which had been the target of most of the questions during the week, found its teeth. And the kicking game was a just a bit better than previously thought.

"Obviously, we just come in and get better," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "I thought today was a maturing process for them because the game was back and forth, and they had to hang on at the end."

That ending, which saw the Badgers make a late run to pull within three points after Penn State led by as many as 14 in the third quarter, came as injuries -- especially tailback Larry Johnson's pulled hamstring -- began to take their toll on an offense that had been rolling.

Not coincidentally, Johnson's injury directly preceeded the score that gave the Lions' their largest lead of the game, after which Penn State was unable to build a sustained drive.

Fortunately for the Lions, the need for long drives had passed, replaced by a need for long kicks in the form of Robbie Gould's career-long 51-yard field goal and comparable 40-yard chip shot in the fourth quarter to keep the game just out of the Badgers' reach. After the game, Paterno said there was little debate about giving Gould the chance to take the long shots thanks to the kicker's self-promotion.

"I told them, 'Hey guys, I can hit it,' " Gould said. "I have confidence in myself."

Long before Gould brought out his big boot, Penn State went a long way in silencing the critics that had loudly suggested the team wasn't as good as originally believed.

The Lions' defensive line, which had allowed Iowa to pile up 224 rushing yards last week, stepped up, holding the Badgers to only 92 yards on the ground. Defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy -- who had criticized his teammates' lack of intensity in the loss to the Hawkeyes -- and defensive end Michael Haynes combined for six sacks and their constant pressure of Wisconsin quarterback Brooks Bollinger aided the Lions' fragile secondary.

Neither lineman would call it a statement game, but it was clear both had come out looking to make up for lackluster performances last week.

"I didn't go out there and say I've got something to prove to anyone," Kennedy said. "I've proved everything to myself. I feel good with the decisions I've made and with the season I'm having."

The defense wasn't the only unit to undergo a revival.

On offense, the Lions' showed flares of the attack that made headlines for being innovative, with quarterback Zack Mills throwing for 287 yards, 220 of which came in the first half. Despite the pulled hamstring that ended his day early in the third quarter, Johnson managed to rush for 111 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

"We had to come out and play with attitude, play our game," Johnson said. "We had to remember that last game is what it is -- last game."

The old faces weren't the only contributors for Penn State. When Mills hit a 22-yard completion to Gerald Smith on the Lions' second offensive drive of the game, it marked the first time a receiver other than Bryant Johnson or Tony Johnson caught a pass since last season's Michigan game.

Despite the win, the players' tone after the game was decidedly different than it had been after the first three wins of the season. There was no talk about swagger, only of survival and next weekend's trip to Michigan. This was a team on the road in the midst of a Big Ten schedule no longer impressed by itself.

"It feels good to be 4-1; 5-0 would be better but it's better than 3-2," Kennedy said. "It's satisfying, but I'm going to see how the week goes. It's over and done with now. I'm going to go home, make sure I don't cramp up and look ahead."

Heading into Ann Arbor next weekend, the road doesn't get any easier from here, even for a revived high-wire act.