After everything he had waited for finally came to pass, Andy Ryland sat calmly and repeated the company line as he always has.

"As a backup, you know what your job is," the redshirt junior from State College said. "It's not tough. You have to be ready to play anytime. You have to be ready to do what the starter does."

The starter that Ryland, along with T.C. Cosby, had to replace Saturday was middle linebacker Gino Capone. Capone apparently suffered a stinger last weekend and although he was dressed, did not see any action.

"I think it says a lot about a kid like Andy Ryland that you can go stick him in there and not have to worry about it too much," Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said. "He's not the type of kid who's going to take on the lead blocker, but he'll get the defense set and he's a good pass defender."

In the third quarter, Ryland scooped up a Virginia fumble at the Penn State 39-yard line after defensive end Michael Haynes had popped the ball loose.

Even after the big play, Ryland was nonchalant.

"I wanted to make sure I wasn't doing too much," he said. "I'm just a piece of the puzzle."

Ryland has been listed as the third string middle linebacker, but jumped over Tim Johnson to start yesterday. Johnson may still be suffering from lingering back problems or he may be chained to head coach Joe Paterno's doghouse.

Cosby has been listed as the third string right outside linebacker behind LaMar Stewart and Deryck Toles. However, the Lions have rotated players at that position more than any other on the field and Cosby has seen playing time during key situations, especially against Wisconsin.

While he usually practices at the fritz spot, he made the transition to the middle without much trouble.

"Everybody knows the defense," Cosby said. "Playing with three seniors on the line and two in the secondary makes it a lot easier, too."

The middle linebacker basically acts as the quarterback for the defense, relaying calls from the sideline and making sure the team is lined up as it should be.

"I guess it might seem like a big deal," Ryland said. "But the guys on offense, Michael Robinson and Chris Ganter, they know the offense and they can call a game. The same goes for us."

Bradley is blessed with a very versatile corps this year. Capone originally started as an outside linebacker and was moved to the middle just prior to the season, when Sam Ruhe was injured.

Derek Wake mans the left side and hasn't been subbed for yet this year other than during mop-up time. He usually rests when the team goes into the nickel formation, though he did drop into pass coverage a bit on Saturday.

The group has quietly matured throughout the season. Teams like Central Florida and Louisiana picked Penn State apart early in the season with spread passing attacks because of the inexperienced linebackers. Now, they're making better reads and drops and shutting down teams like Virginia and Illinois, both prolific passing teams.

Ryland didn't find out he'd start until late Friday night. Fate knew a little before, apparently, because prior to the season his family decided this would be the game they'd all come out too, including an Aunt from Chicago.

Ryland's parents, Terry, a coach with the Penn State rugby team, and Julie, have three natural sons, two adopted children and serve as foster parents for two others.

"We probably had about 30 kids at the game," Ryland said. "There's been a lot to come through the house."