He'd been in that seat 35 times before -- the one at the front of the first bus, right across from the head coach, the seat permanently reserved for the starting quarterback.

At this point in time -- late morning on Saturday -- there was a football game ahead of him, a game that he didn't know if he'd win or lose. And there was most of a season behind him, a season that wouldn't be remembered as a winning one. But this was his last time -- ever -- to sit in that seat, and that was the totality of his emotion for the moment.

The blue bus pulled up to Beaver Stadium, and, as he stepped off, that's when he got a little misty-eyed. He was about to enter the stadium for the last time, yes, but it was the greeting that really got to him.

"I saw a few signs -- 'We'll miss you, Zack,' 'Thank you' -- it just meant a lot to hear that after the up and down season I've had," senior quarterback Zack Mills said. "Just coming off the bus, and you have all the fans screaming as you're going into the locker room."

And it was just about to get better, as Mills, in his senior day sendoff against Michigan State, was the same old Zack fans fell in love with in 2001, doing what he had to do to lead his team to an unexpected 37-13 victory over the Spartans.

He passed for a little bit (105 yards), ran for more than normal (74 yards) and was responsible for three of his team's touchdowns (one by passing, two by rushing). The running was out of the ordinary, but, since Mills was finally fully healthy for the first time since the Wisconsin game, the coaches took advantage.

"We thought he was healthy and, hey, what are we saving him for?" quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said. "This is his game, and he wanted to do it, so that was his motivation, and he wanted to prove it."

The stage was set for Mills to have this sort of magical day -- the "Got Mills?" and "Zack Attack" shirts of old had been broken out and the motivational speeches for his teammates involved talk of sending the soft-spoken senior out in the best imaginable way.

But when everything actually fell into place, as though perfectly scripted, the crowd's response to Mills' smashing hit of a performance was the sweetest part of all -- a standing ovation as he came off the field for the final time, with 4:11 remaining in the game.

"I was surprised the old man put me in there for a play, so I could get an ovation," Mills said, breaking into the sort of grin that's been absent most of the season. "He doesn't normally do that. He let me, so..."

And as the cheering -- not booing -- continued, Mills embarked on a never-ending series of hugs: utility player Michael Robinson; Chris Ganter, his quarterback replacement; wide receivers coach Mike McQueary; head coach Joe Paterno; and, finally, his family and his girlfriend, who were permitted to join him on the field.

"He hugged me a little bit more than ever," Robinson said. "Like he never hugged me before. Zack gets emotional; you gotta catch him though. I catch him all the time."

Not much about this season has been perfect, but this was how it should be -- this was a perfect ending. And everyone in attendance -- the players hoisting the massive Land Grant trophy, the fans cheering "We Want Mills" as he exited through the tunnel -- well, they all knew it, too.

Caught in between the three losing seasons he's endured and the offensive records he's set is the simple way in which the soft-spoken senior wishes to be remembered.

"I want them to say that I was a good person, a good human being, a classy guy," Mills said. And then he let yet another grin peek through. "And that I was a pretty good football player, too."

The first part -- that's undeniable. And Saturday, well, that was a heck of a way to reaffirm part two.