BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Penn State coach Joe Paterno promised it. Senior quarterback Zack Mills expected it. Fans have been calling for it.

And, sure enough, against Indiana on Saturday, Penn State gave true freshman quarterback Anthony Morelli his first significant playing time of the year.

"I knew all week that he was going to get in, and, you know, he did get a nice little ovation when he ran out onto the field," Mills said. "But that's what fans have wanted all along, so I figured he would get that."

Having already burned Morelli's redshirt year, Paterno said earlier in the week that he would make up his mind to play Morelli at a certain point in the game to give him experience for next year. The entry point was determined to be the second quarter, and Morelli stayed in until he rolled his ankle.

"They came up to me and Anthony before the second quarter and said, 'Make sure he gets some snaps, he's going in the second quarter,' " center E.Z. Smith said. "So I think that was pre-determined."

But while fans got the player whom they wanted, they didn't quite get what they wanted. In the three series he was on the field, Morelli was 1-for-4 passing, and, most notably, threw an interception straight into the hands of Indiana linebacker Kyle Killion, who returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. And while he threw one beautiful ball to freshman receiver Mark Rubin, which was called back due to a holding penalty, Morelli is clearly still young, and, for now, is not be the savior.

As a sort of vindication, then, it was only fitting that Mills himself had one of his more admirable performances of the season. Aside from a first quarter interception on a pass he was trying to throw away -- a move he called a "stupid throw" -- Mills was the offensive leader, throwing for 169 yards, rushing and passing for touchdowns, and running in a 2-point conversion.

"He made a couple of great throws; the one to Michael Robinson where he puts it on the 1-yard line was a heck of a throw," Paterno said. "Rubin finally started to get in a groove so he had a second receiver, Michael Robinson started to get a little timing with him, we got a little better work out of the tight end today -- all of that's starting to come together, and, obviously, he'll look better as we get some kind of balance."

Most crucial was the 80-yard drive Mills led in the fourth quarter for what would be the game-winning touchdown. The march was steady and smooth -- there were no signs of stagnancy, to be sure -- and on a crucial third-and-9, he hit Rubin with a 13-yard pass.

"He was a leader, a general on the field," Smith said. "You could look in his eyes, and you could tell we were gonna win just by looking at him. He's a great quarterback -- it's nice to shut some people up."

Not that Mills would ever complain, of course, but all of this was after being asked to sit for three series for a freshman. No, Mills was just a regular company guy, understanding the need to think about the future, being ready all the while to come back in to win the game for his team.

Because after a season that has been defeating for him in a lot of ways, Mills needed to be out there, he needed to try to prove, though time is running out, that he's still the same, once-adored Zack. And once he got back on the field, and played the way he played toward a victory, he made the season that much less defeating.

"It's been a rough year, it's been a long year for me, and it's been pretty down at times," Mills said, light eyes scanning the floor. "It's nice to finally get a win and make some plays in the clutch."