BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- By any sort of odds, it was all over. Done. The six-point lead Penn State had over Indiana would be promptly turned into a one-point, last-minute victory for the Hoosiers with a simple 1-yard touchdown dash and an easy extra point.

After all, it was first-and-goal from the Penn State 1-yard line for Indiana, after receiver Travis Haney caught a 29-yard pass over Anwar Phillips. Four chances to move 1 yard? That's a virtual certainty.

A virtual certainty, that is, against most defenses, but not against this one. The side of the ball that has been the pride of the Penn State football team all season was not about to become the side of the ball that lost it for the team, and that fact was far more of a certainty.

"To have said that we were on the field when the game was lost," defensive end Tamba Hali said, "it would not have felt good."

So, instead, the defense ensured that it was on the field when the game was won, as it did the incredibly unlikely and came up with four consecutive stops that kept the Hoosiers out of the end zone and the 'W' firmly planted in Penn State's column. Now that's a little something special.

"I thought that goal-line stand was truly a great effort," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said.

What Penn State did was seal the goal line -- four times -- from any penetration by an Indiana rusher. Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said he had four defensive packages ready to go throughout the series, depending on how the Hoosiers lined up, but only needed one.

On four consecutive plays, Indiana used the stacked I -- also called triple I -- formation, in which two fullbacks and a tailback are lined up in a row straight back from the quarterback. They tried to jam the ball in, three times with junior tailback Chris Taylor and once on the option with quarterback Matt LoVecchio, and were stuffed on each attempt.

"The whole series, we knew we had to really buckle down and play," freshman linebacker Dan Connor said.

"You buckle your chin straps, and you get low, and you get ready to take on a hit."

As much as the miraculous stand was a testament to the resiliency of the Nittany Lions defense, the array of players involved in each of the four stops vouched for the depth of this resiliency.

First-and-goal was a Taylor rush, stopped primarily by tackle Ed Johnson, who got to him low, around the ankles. On second-and-goal, Taylor took the ball again, for a loss of 1 yard, with sophomore linebacker Paul Posluszny stopping him upright and taking him to the ground with the aid of Connor.

Third down was an option run by LoVecchio, who was taken down by the tandem of linebacker Derek Wake and safety Calvin Lowry.

And on the pivotal fourth-and-goal, from the 2-yard line, Taylor once again tried to push forward, but was met with a mass of defenders -- end Lavon Chisley and safety Paul Cronin laid the most visible hits, while tackle Scott Paxson came underneath and cornerback Alan Zemaitis flew in last to seal Taylor out of the end zone.

"Whatever feelings you have, whatever tiredness you have -- it's gone," Zemaitis said.

"We stop them, we win; we don't, we lose. It's as simple as that. We got the job done."

The thing is, up to that point, it had been somewhat of a mixed day for the defense. It allowed the Hoosiers 275 yards of total offense, but, more importantly, it allowed plays in key situations -- such as in this final drive downfield. And, moments before the showdown at the goal line, it was considered that the defense wouldn't be given the chance to make the final stop, that it should simply allow the touchdown to give the offense enough time to march downfield for another score.

But the coaches decided to have a belief in the side of the ball in which they have believed all year -- and, wouldn't you know it, this marvelous defense came through when it mattered the most.

For the defenders whose fortitude has been unrewarded all season, it was only fitting they got to be the saviors in the long-awaited victory.

"It's been a tough stretch," Bradley said, "but I'll tell you, it was a heck of a way to win a football game."