There would be no shouting this time. No running after officials, no histrionics and no finger pointing either.

On the field, there were two Tony Hunt fumbles at potentially key junctures of Saturday's game against Northwestern. The TV monitors said otherwise.

Both balls that were originally ruled to be recovered by the Wildcats were almost immediately challenged by the replay booth, producing the first two overturned calls in a Penn State game this season. Hunt was ruled down before the ball came out in both instances.

The first came after Paul Cronin's interception as the first half was coming to a end.

Penn State retained the ball and eventually tallied the Nittany Lions' lone score of the game, a 2-yard Zack Mills pass to Isaac Smolko.

The second reversal came in the third quarter with the Lions driving deep into Wildcats territory, though the end result was a missed 31-yard field goal.

In both cases, the correct call appeared to be made.

"We were 0-for-2 today but in spite of that, it's great," Northwestern coach Randy Walker said of the replay system. "I wouldn't have wanted the ball unjustly. If it wasn't a fumble, it wasn't a fumble."

Though in a one-year experimental period, the Big Ten replay system has been received with nearly unanimous support from coaches and figures to be back again after this season.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno was perhaps the biggest advocate of implementing a replay system in the college game and his efforts directly paid off for the first time Saturday. But given the 14-7 final score that gave the Lions their sixth straight loss, Paterno couldn't be entirely pleased.

"I'm glad to see that instant replay is working, but I wish we were playing better," Paterno said.

Day to remember

Offense: Tony Hunt. Hunt was one of the few bright spots for a still anemic offense as he was the Lions' leading rusher (96 yards) and receiver (10 catches, 74 yards). One can't help but think what his numbers would look like in a more effective and balanced offense.

Defense: Dan Connor. With Tim Shaw on the sideline the entire game, the true freshman Connor made his second start at middle linebacker and proved why he was one of the top recruits in the nation. Connor finished with a game-high 16 tackles on the day.

Day to forget

Offense: Michael Robinson. Despite hauling in four catches for 63 yards, Robinson couldn't make the clutch catches, including a late fourth-quarter pass that glanced off his hands near the end zone. His lone pass on a trick play in the first quarter was forced and easily intercepted.

Defense: The defensive line. Don't read into it too much -- this unit still had a strong game. But with the defense spread out, the Lions couldn't stop Northwestern tailback Noah Herron, who gained much of his 175 yards up the middle.

Did you notice?

This week's Zombie Nation tally: the infectious song was played nine times over the Beaver Stadium loudspeaker in the first half alone, and that's a conservative estimate ... Joining the "Posluszny's Posse sign in the student section: "Triple Threat," heralding Posluszny, Connor and Shaw (though Shaw didn't play), and "Zack Attack."

Quotable

Northwestern wide receiver Jonathan Fields, describing the physical play of the Lions secondary, particularly a hit put on him by cornerback Alan Zemaitis:

"Oh they played hard, they were hitting hard. I caught that one ball and I got hit in the stomach and I thought my whole world came down."

Extra point

Northwestern's win Saturday was the school's first ever at Beaver Stadium. The Wildcats made it the second time this season that feat has occurred. Purdue was the first with a win last month.