EVANSTON, Ill. -- He had a career-high number of carries and yards. But it didn't even matter.

The only thing that mattered to Sean McHugh after the game was that the Nittany Lions had lost their sixth-straight game, the most recent defeat coming Saturday at the hands of lowly Northwestern.

McHugh finished the game with 10 carries and 79 yards rushing, including a career-high 31-yard run.

"I don't care about the career game," McHugh said. "I could have had 300 yards and if we don't win you can throw the stats out of the window."

McHugh, a senior leader, was one of the main reasons the Lions had their opportunities early in the game.

He is usually only handed the ball in short yardage situations, but he was used more often Saturday because he was so successful.

On the 31-yard run, he busted up the middle of the Wildcats' defense before breaking to the outside and being dragged out of bounds by Torri Stuckey.

McHugh said that when he carries the ball it usually comes in short yardage situations and it causes him to have tunnel vision.

The Ohio native did not have a carry in the fourth quarter as Penn State's offense virtually disappeared late in the game.

For the first three quarters, Penn State turned to McHugh in nearly every imaginable situation, including when the squad was pinned against its goal line.

In the third quarter when the Lions started at the 1-yard line, McHugh was handed the ball on three consecutive plays. He rushed for six yards up the middle on first down. McHugh picked up a first down when he broke a 16-yard run on the next play. Penn State went back to the well one more time and McHugh picked up three yards.

"That's usually our bread and butter play on short yardage," McHugh said. "But the offensive line was opening holes and it was working."

None of this was important to the senior, who has only two games left in his Penn State career. He was more worried about getting over this defeat and starting to focus on Indiana.

McHugh said that the Lions have only pride left to play for, since any post season is impossible.

It doesn't look like things can get much worse for Penn State, but McHugh understands that is still possible.

"We could lose the next two games," he said. "But we need to keep our heads up."

After the most recent loss, the locker room was quiet according to Zack Mills. But McHugh stood and spoke his mind to the team. McHugh said that if the team wasn't upset that he would change it.

"I'm at a loss for words right now," McHugh said. "I've never been this upset in my life, especially when you go out there and move the ball like we did."

He added that this week's loss is even tougher to swallow then the game last week with Ohio State because of so many blown opportunities.

McHugh is one of the rare players that cares about winning more than statistics, and is the type of player that Lions' head coach Joe Paterno has always admired. Unfortunately McHugh won't be around if this team finally rights the ship next year.