What else could he have done?

He had already run over people, ran around people, ran past people and ran into his own teammates' arms. He broke free for long bursts untouched and dragged would-be tacklers desperately trying to hang on. He did it all.

He had his yards and he had his touchdowns and he had his records, and if the Heisman voters weren't convinced after Larry Johnson's first-half performance in Penn State's (9-3, 5-3 Big Ten) 61-7 thrashing of Michigan State (4-8, 3-5 Big Ten) Saturday, would they ever be?

All Johnson did was rush for 279 yards on 19 carries for four touchdowns in the first half. On his final carry of the day, late in the second quarter -- a 38-yard sprint up the middle to the end zone -- Johnson became the first Nittany Lion to eclipse 2,000 yards for the season as Beaver Stadium exploded in flashbulbs.

Johnson finishes the regular season with 2,015 yards, the Penn State single-season record, as well as the four highest single-game rushing totals in school history. He averaged 8 yards per carry and 8.8 yards per carry in Big Ten games, the highest average by a conference rushing champion since the Big Ten started keeping records in 1939.

Also, in his lone catch of the game, a 10-yard reception in the second quarter, Johnson broke Curt Warner's record for single-season receiving yards by a running back.

"When he finally got the feel of things, it's spectacular," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "He's like a man playing against boys out there right now. He's terrific."

In becoming only the ninth player to rush for 2,000 yards in the regular season, Johnson likely sewed up the Lions' spot in the Capital One Bowl. Despite rewriting the record books, Johnson once again did his best to deflect praise from his accomplishments.

"It's great for today, but this season's not over," Johnson said. "We've still got the bowl game and stuff like that. Celebrating is good, but the season is still not over."

The Lions got off to a quick start Saturday, jumping out to a 14-0 lead before Michigan State had played seven offensive downs on the strength of Penn State's ground game.

Thanks in part to the Spartans' offensive ineptitude, the Lions began to put the game away early in the second quarter when Bryant Johnson returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown. From that point, Penn State ran off four additional unanswered touchdowns, taking a 48-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

A clearly demoralized Michigan State team wasn't able to mount a comeback against the Lions' reserves in the second half.

After lining up for the first two plays of the third quarter, Larry Johnson jogged off the field for the final time with his place in history secured. Later, he admitted that despite the tough façade, Senior Day was an emotional one for him as well.

"I was a little bit nervous," he said. "Everybody was joking around saying 'Who's going to shed a tear first?' My brother [receiver Tony Johnson] kind of got it out of me. He came over there; he started crying, and it got me crying. It was a great thing, just a great feeling."

That's the feeling of leaving nothing undone.