BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Larry Johnson walked off the field behind all 63 of his teammates and pointed, only for a moment, at the lone section of Indiana's Memorial Stadium still filled with people.
The mass of Blue and White chanted and cheered, doing what they could to thank and congratulate Johnson for yet another high point in what has been one of the most stirring seasons ever by a Penn State running back.
Running on a sandy dune that passed for a football field, the 6-foot-2, 222-pound senior tailback ran for 327 yards and broke Lydell Mitchell's 31-year old single-season rushing record while leading the Nittany Lions to a 58-25 win against the hapless Hoosiers.
The accomplishment didn't surprise the people who've watched Johnson all year.
"He's a heck of a back," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "I don't know what else to tell you guys. I see him every day. He's doing the things you want from a great player."
Johnson, who needed 159 yards to set the record, eclipsed the mark with a 25-yard scamper through the middle of the Hoosiers' defense with seven minutes left in the second quarter.
Johnson also broke the school's single-game rushing record for the third time this season, toting the ball 28 times and averaging 11.7 yards per carry. He also scored a career-high four touchdowns on runs of 69, 43, 1 and 41 yards.
On the year, Johnson has gained 1,736 yards on the ground and has an outside shot at breaking the 2,000-yard mark.
Johnson is currently ranked second in the NCAA with 157.82 yards per game. Colorado's Chris Brown, who was hospitalized Saturday night with a bruised sternum, is first with 158.55.
Johnson leads the NCAA in all-purpose running yards (207.82 per game.) He's fifth in the country in scoring (10.5 points per game.)
Saturday, Johnson became the first Lions back to run for 300 yards in a game and the second to rush for 200 yards three times in not only a season, but a career.
The other player who did it was John Cappelletti, who finished the 1973 season with rushing performances of 202, 220, 204 and 161 yards on his way to winning Penn State's only Heisman Trophy.
Johnson's rushing yards for the last five games run down like this: 257, 66, 279, 188 and 327. That's an average of 223.4 yards per game.
Don't think that the similarity between Cappelletti and Johnson escapes Paterno.
"Cappelletti won it down the stretch just like this kid (Johnson) is doing it," Paterno said. "Right now, Larry Johnson is playing as well as anyone in the country."
Yet, Johnson still shies away from comparisons to the great runners of Penn State lore.
"Those guys are the ones who paved the way for me and made all this possible," he said. "Plus we have a group of linemen that are very close and work hard and also two great fullbacks."
Johnson defers credit whenever possible, which wins him favor with his offensive line.
"When he puts up the big numbers, we take some pride in that," said right tackle Matt Schmitt. "We're not always portrayed so well in the media, so it's a nice validation."
The offensive line manhandled a young Indiana defense that has allowed 200 points in its last four games.
"Larry Johnson had a lot to do with it," said Indiana football coach Gerry DiNardo. "I'd say this year that he has to be one of the better backs we've seen."
Johnson's speed seems to surprise most opponents. Even after watching him on tape, many Indiana players did not believe a man so big could move so quickly.
"I'm a pretty fast dude and I tried to catch him and he shot off," said cornerback Damien Jones. "He surprised me."
