LINCOLN, Neb. -- Inside the Nebraska media room hangs a sign that says "Destined to Dominate."

On Saturday, Nebraska's I-back Josh Davis fulfilled his destiny and dominated the Nittany Lions.

"He was a great warrior out there," Nebraska football coach Frank Solich said. "He ran physically. He sliced through the holes and with the offensive line, they picked up first down after first down."

Davis made his impact felt in all aspects of the game.

He carried the ball 32 times for 179 yards. He ran with the ball Saturday almost as many times as he did in the Cornhuskers' first two contests of the year. And if that wasn't enough, he returned six punts for 58 yards, helping the 'Huskers keep the upper hand in the battle for field position.

On the first series, Davis made his impact. He ran up the middle for eight yards on his first carry of the game and followed it up with an 11-yard run off right tackle. He had five carries on that first drive for 31 yards to help set up a David Dyches 36-yard field goal.

Davis became firmly established in the memories of Penn State fans on the 'Huskers first drive of the second half. On that drive, he powered Nebraska down the field to set up the go-ahead score.

It started with an eight-yard run, then a two-yard run for the first down. After three carries by quarterback Jammal Lord, the Davis show began.

He rumbled for five yards, three yards, five yards, 14 yards, four yards, four yards and three yards. There were no off plays as Davis took the handoff on seven straight plays. Davis got the ball inside the five-yard line and then Lord carried it from three-yards out.

Despite the heavy workload, Davis wouldn't admit to being tired, something believable after a performance where the I-back appeared to get stronger as the game continued. He attributed his great stamina to a very difficult off-season conditioning program.

Davis said that the linemen deserved much of the credit because if it wasn't for them, he wouldn't have been able to rack up all the yards that he did.

"They're great," Davis said. "They should be the ones up here. All the credit in the world belongs to them."

He said he cared more about the team winning than any of his personal accolades.

"I'll do whatever I have to do to help the team win," Davis said. "The fullback was blocking hard and the offensive line was opening up holes."

Lord knows Davis was the reason for picking up the victory.

"Davis, he had one heck of a day out there," said Lord, who finished the game with 100 yards rushing.

After splitting time last season at I-back with Dahrran Diedrick, Davis has become the Cornhusker's go-to-guy, even though he shares time in the backfield with David Horne.

Davis said that he couldn't remember the last time he carried the ball so many times, even as a far back as high school.

"In high school, I would carry the ball maybe 15 times a game," Davis said.

The Cornhuskers are off before heading on the road to play Southern Mississippi. The question everyone wants answered is whether or not Davis can carry the same load against Golden Eagles.

"That's up to the coaches," Davis said. "But I'm ready."

He certainly was ready for the Lions.