He knew exactly how he wanted to open the game.

Minnesota football coach Glen Mason decided the day after his team pummeled Louisiana-Lafayette, 48-14, that he would open the Penn State game with an onside kick.

His kicker, Rhys Lloyd made it that much easier for Mason's plan to work to perfection.

Lloyd successfully kicked the ball and recovered it at the 47-yard line.

Mason didn't realize the weapon he had on his team until the Friday before the season-opener against Tulsa.

At that time, Mason couldn't remember his name so he called him "Winston," for Winston Churchill, as both are of British decent. Mason has continued to call him Winston since then.

Mason asked his kicker if he was able to kick an onside kick and then go and dive on it. Lloyd, who previously played soccer, told his coach that he could do even better -- he could make the ball bounce back to him.

"He is a magician with the ball," Mason said. "He tried it once to practice it, and I said, 'Don't practice it anymore. Practice makes perfect, and it's perfect, so you don't want to mess it up.' "

Lloyd didn't mess it up as it worked to perfection, even though the Golden Gophers weren't able to score on that possession. It set the tone for early part of the game.

Day to Remember

Offense: Austin Scott. In his first Big Ten game, Scott showed that he can handle the defenses of this conference. He rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries and he scored a touchdown. Had the blocks been held for a second longer, Joe Paterno said that Scott could have scored on the draw play in the final minutes, giving Penn State the victory. Scott showed that he could catch the ball as well as run it, catching two passes for 13 yards.

Defense: Deryck Toles. This linebacker was one of the few players on the field that wasn't fooled by Asad Abdul-Khaliq's fakes and moves with the ball. Toles was even able to record a sack of Abdul-Khaliq to go along with his seven tackles.

Day to Forget

Offense: Gerald Smith. He didn't have a chance to catch the final pass of the game, as it was thrown out of the back of the end zone and wasn't catchable. But if Smith catches that third-and-three pass on Minnesota's 28-yard line in the fourth quarter the game would have been different. The Lions would have had a first down and Robbie Gould wouldn't have missed a 45-yard field goal. If nothing else, Gould's attempt would have been 10 yards closer.

Defense: The front seven. With the exception of the Kent State game, this unit has been victimized by the run in every game this season. Whether it was the 337 yards it surrendered to Nebraska or the 238 yards Boston College racked up against them or the 250 yards Minnesota rolled up. The defensive line needs to hold their ground so that the linebacker can make plays, while the linebackers can't continually get blocked.

Did you notice?

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno refused to talk to the sideline reporter during halftime...Prior to the start of the game, Maurice Humphrey and Nolan McCready chest bumped at the 50 yard-line...The student section throwing marshmallows during the game, like the old days...The sign that read, "We are from Minnesota...But We Are Penn State."

Extra Point

Is it possible that Matt Senneca, who was at the game, has more touch on his passes than both Zack Mills and Michael Robinson?