All season the Penn State football team has relied on its three captains to stand as a rock whenever it needed a big play. It seemed as if every time the game was on the line, the fiery Alan Zemaitis, the tough-as-nails Michael Robinson or the stolid Paul Posluszny would step up in the clutch.

But Tuesday night, it was some lesser known Nittany Lions that put an exclamation point on the most memorable season in recent Penn State history with a 26-23 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

The game was one that Penn State fans will remember for years to come, but when the Lions captains met the Florida State captains at midfield before overtime began last night, the normal triumvirate had been reduced to two.

Posluszny had been knocked from the game by a third-quarter knee injury, and he wasn't the only regular who was missing in action. Tony Hunt, Penn State's leading rusher, was driven from the game in the first quarter after hurting his foot, and fullback BranDon Snow was out of the game with an injury, too.

Hunt was replaced by a suddenly resurgent Austin Scott, who almost single handedly kept the Lions in the game while Robinson struggled in the first half by running for 105 yards on 14 carries.

Even with the injuries, Penn State managed to overcome the odds one more time and solidify its position as one of the best football teams in the country.

“It's a tribute to the character that we have and where we have come from,” said wideout Ethan Kilmer, who for at least one night managed to replace the electric Derrick Williams with six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. “We came from nowhere, from being down, and we know that if we just keep fighting it's going to work out for us. Obviously missing those few guys was a huge thing, but at the same time we knew that we had to win especially for those guys because they battled so hard for us.”

The game was nothing less than a battle, and, other than the big-play fireworks put on by the Seminoles in the first half on a screen pass to Lorenzo Booker and a punt return by escape artist Willie Reed, it proved to be a contest that was dominated by two aggressive, hard-hitting defenses.

The Seminoles went three-and-out on all three of their fourth quarter possessions, and the two teams combined for 20 punts that totaled 840 yards in total distance.

It's not surprising that a defensive battle like this one would end up being won and lost on special teams, but the way in which the two teams limped home behind their struggling kickers is what will cement this game in college football lore.

After a safety from an intentional grounding call on Florida State freshman quarterback Drew Weatherford in his own end zone, Penn State took a 16-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Lions proceeded to drive the length of the field after the free kick, and seemed prepared to pound the ball in for the game-clinching score when Michael Robinson fumbled a snap from center E.Z. Smith and the Seminoles recovered the ball.

Florida State then put together its first successful drive of the second half, taking up over five minutes on the game clock and setting up placekicker Gary Cismesia for a 48-yard field goal that tied the game at 16.

Robinson had taken a brutal pounding all evening, but at this point he mustered up what appeared to be all of his remaining strength and took the Lions the length of the field, setting up a potentially game-winning chip shot for kicker Kevin Kelly. Kelly missed the kick, the first of four missed field goals in the game, and the game went to overtime.

In the extra frames, both teams looked dog tired. Florida State took the ball first and, after a costly holding penalty pushed it back 10 yards, Cismesia missed a field goal of his own.

Needing only three points to clinch the victory, the Lions coaching staff ran up the middle three straight times, setting up Kelly for another potentially game-winning kick that he again missed.

On their next possessions, the teams traded touchdowns. It wasn't until the third overtime, when Cismesia missed yet another kick, drilling the right crossbar, and Kelly pounded home his third game-winning attempt, that Penn State managed to topple a very dangerous, probably underrated Florida State team.

It wasn't pretty, far from it in fact, but the Lions finished their season with a win that came in a very fitting manner -- against all odds.