They went over right tackle, over left tackle and up the middle, but the Lions' defense was nowhere to be found.

Wisconsin running backs beat the Penn State defense thoroughly on Saturday, most importantly on a 13-play, 80-yard drive on which the Badgers called nothing but running plays.

In a 30-23 victory at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, the Wisconsin ground game managed 234 yards rushing and became the fourth team to rush for more than 230 yards against the Nittany Lions.

Wisconsin tailback Booker Stanley got the largest chunk of his team-high 119 yards on the key fourth-quarter drive, carrying nine times for 59 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

It was simple, straightforward football that took the Badgers down the field for their final touchdown of the day. The Wisconsin offensive line came right at the Penn State defense with a zone-blocking scheme, which has given the Lions problems for years now. Wisconsin also seemed to win each crucial battle along the offensive line in the game.

A zone blocking scheme relies heavily on the offensive linemen dominating their defensive counterparts. Each blocker is responsible for a specific area and the running back is responsible for picking the largest hole in the line. The Badgers' ability to smack the Penn State defensive front seven enabled the drive that broke the Lions' back.

"This program was built to beat teams like Penn State," Wisconsin cornerback Scott Starks said. "We played Big Ten, smash-mouth, real football."

Which is something the Lions have been largely unable to counter this season. Penn State ranks 109th nationally in rush defense, a statistic heretofore unthinkable for a Joe Paterno-coached team.

The Wisconsin offensive line wasn't particularly big, like Nebraska's had been. The Wisconsin attack wasn't necessarily pass-heavy which made Boston College so successful.

The Badgers had three strong running backs, but on the most important series it was just one who got the majority of the carries. Wisconsin center Donovan Raiola said the drive and the running game as a whole were testaments to the team that wanted to win more.

"Every play we were like, 'This is our game, this is our quarter, it's on our shoulders,' " Raiola said. "When you get eight-yard runs, five-yard runs and you see the defense on their knees, you definitely build a lot of confidence. It's wanting to run the ball every play."

By the end of the drive, the Penn State defense was on its back. At no point on the drive was the Blue & White ready to halt the Red Machine that was Wisconsin's offense. The Badgers had only two third downs on the drive, the longest of which was three yards.

Penn State linebacker Derek Wake said he could only wonder when it was going to end.

"Just to get off the field," Wake said about his mentality during the drive. "We know that we could do it, we showed we can. The 14 plays and being on the field like we're waiting to stop them -- we can't have that. Teams are coming in and we're giving them the ball and we're giving them yards, we're going to lose."

Especially when it happens at such a crucial point in the game. At that point, the Lions had just scored on a 73-yard touchdown pass from Michael Robinson to tight end Matt Kranchick to pull within seven points of the Badgers.

The defense seemed to have the stronger unit as well. Penn State had held Wisconsin scoreless on its last three drives and had stopped a key fourth-down play just minutes earlier.

With the game hanging in the balance, the Wisconsin offense seemed to laugh in the face of their opposition, challenging it and taunting it. In effect, it told Penn State what was coming and that the Lions couldn't do a thing to stop it.

The Badgers were right, Penn State's vaunted toughness was missing.