Coming into Saturday's game, Penn State tailback Larry Johnson needed 159 yards to break the school's single season rushing record. The Nittany Lions didn't expect to need that many yards from him to rout conference doormat Indiana.

He had 194 by halftime of Saturday's game, but the Lions still needed more to put the game away. It took almost every one of his school-record 327 rushing yards to finally break the spirit of a feisty Hoosier squad which had just 38 scholarship players available Saturday. They twice held leads in what was a sloppy first half for the Lions.

Johnson's fourth touchdown run of the day on his next-to-last carry gave his team a 45-25 lead. The Lions (8-3, 4-3 Big Ten) tacked on two more touchdowns to win 58-25.

Johnson broke Lydell Mitchell's single-season rushing record of 1,567 yards, which was set in 1971, finishing the game with 1,736. He also broke the single-game record for the third time this season and became the first Lions tailback to rush for 300 yards.

For most of Saturday's game, there was no certainty the Lions would make Johnson a winner on his record-breaking day. They made quite a few mistakes early, looking unmotivated playing on shoddy turf in front of a half-empty Memorial Stadium. After taking a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zack Mills to tight end Mike Lukac on their first drive, the Lions allowed the Hoosiers (3-8, 1-6) to answer back with a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown by free safety Buster Larkins.

The Hoosiers scored again when an interception by linebacker John Kerr put the Hoosiers on the Lions' 21-yard line and set up a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tommy Jones to wide receiver Courtney Roby. The Hoosiers missed point after attempts on both scores but held a 12-7 lead.

Johnson got the lead back himself with a 69-yard touchdown dash up the middle. But the Hoosiers refused to lay down for their powerhouse opponent. Jones led an 18-play, 80-yard drive, culminated by a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Stephen Anthony. The scoring pass marked the fifth third down of the drive Jones converted on, and it gave the Hoosiers an 18-14 lead.

"I got very concerned early in the game," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "They jumped ahead, it wasn't going so easy then they jumped back ahead of us. I told the team 'You guys are asking for trouble. A lot of trouble.' "

The Lions settled down and took control in the second quarter and early in the second half. Johnson scored again on a 43-yard run, and Mills hit tight end Casey Williams for a 14-yard touchdown on the next drive to give the Lions a 28-18 halftime advantage. Johnson scored again on a 1-yard run on the first drive of the second half, and kicker Robbie Gould hit a 27-yard field goal on the next drive to open the deficit to 20 points.

However, the Hoosiers still did not die, countering with another 80-yard drive that tailback Yamar Washington finished with a 6-yard touchdown to keep the Hoosiers within two touchdowns.

Johnson's final touchdown, a 41-yard scamper was the knockout punch, and a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Rich Gardner and a three-yard score by Mike Gasparato gave the Lions their highest point total of the year.

The game was closer than it looked, but nevertheless, it put the Lions one step closer to a New Year's Day bowl game. The best case scenario will likely put them in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, and the worst would send them to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. Either way, no one would be complaining.

"I like Florida," defensive end Michael Haynes said. "Even so, it's a bowl game, so who cares."