After the most outstanding performance of his career to date, Penn State tailback Larry Johnson walked into the media room in a blue jump suit with the word "Ali" stitched in red thread
in cursive on the back and the left breast.

Though Johnson didn't say whether it had any connection to Muhammad Ali, it was fitting, because on Saturday, Johnson was the greatest.

Against Northwestern, Johnson put together a performance that statistically surpassed any of the best days of the great Penn State tailbacks he so often speaks of in reverence. He rushed for 257 yards in the Nittany Lions' 49-0 win, breaking the previous school record of 256, set by former tailback Curt Warner in 1981 against Syracuse.

"[The record] means a lot, because of all the guys that have been before me and guys I've got to meet with, like Curt Warner, D.J. Dozier, Curtis Enis, Ki-Jana Carter and Kenny Watson," Johnson said. "All of those guys have encouraged me in my college career and this kind of seems like it's dedicated to them. Even though they didn't make the record, what you saw
out there was each a little part of them."

Johnson, a fifth-year senior, has spent three years waiting to be mentioned with those names, as he split time in a tailback-by-committee situation with graduated running backs Eric McCoo and Omar Easy. After watching him struggle through that, Saturday was all the sweeter for Johnson's brother, Tony, a wide receiver, and his father, Larry Sr., the Nittany Lions' defensive line coach.

"Larry has been humble waiting for his chance and today it happened. I'm more proud for him because he had a chance to persevere through all of this," Larry Sr. said. "To be able to see it from the sidelines -- you've got to pinch me -- it just seems like it's unreal."

Though one yard is all that separates Johnson from the previous record, no one's going to look back at tape and challenge the spots to verify it. It took him only two quarters and a drive to get those yards. After he scored his second touchdown of the day, a five-yard dash to paydirt with 13:26 remaining in the third quarter, the Lions' coaching staff called up to the press box and found out that Johnson had broken the record. With the tailback recovering from a hamstring injury that affected him the week before, the Lions took him out of the game.

The Lions knew going in that they could expect Johnson to have a big day. Northwestern's defense had allowed more rushing yards per game coming into the game than any other team in Div. I-A. They took full advantage of that, giving Johnson a career-high 23 carries in his short time on the field.

With his offensive line opening up canyons between defenders and with terrific downfield blocking from the wide receivers, and on one occasion quarterback Zack Mills, Johnson ran wild. Five of his carries went for over 20 yards, including a career-best 60-yard run that came right before his second touchdown. He broke the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season on the second play of the second quarter, and had already shattered his career-high for a game with 192 yards in the first half.

He made a number of ankle-snapping cutbacks, and used his blocking patiently, showing what he's learned in the three years he waited to be in this position.

"He was always one of those guys that was always in a hurry to get things done," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "As you saw today, he had a lot more patience, and waited for a couple of things to open up."

"I am happy for him. He's a fifth-year kid and has struggled with the ups and downs of three tailbacks and being a flanker and all that stuff. So it's nice to see he has settled in at tailback and has done as well as he's done."