This time, as they exited the field, the question marks that had been tattooed to their chests were suddenly invisible.

Instead, those punctuations were swapped for exclamation points that shouted "finally," for periods that symbolized closure, for the respect emblem that has eluded them for so long.

And amid a cast of thousands, among a fan base that collectively exhaled a sigh of relief and gratitude, defensive tackle Scott Paxson summed it up best: "We're back."

Were they? Could they? Will they? These are now questions for another sunrise.

As midnight approached in State College, a town long overdue for an explosion, the No. 8 Nittany Lions (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) proved that their comeback win against Northwestern wasn't luck, their thrashing of Minnesota was no fluke and that they could show up in a big game and beat a legitimate national title contender.

They did that, beating then-No. 6 Ohio State (3-2, 1-1), 17-10, in front of 109,839 rambunctious fans. It was the second-largest crowd to ever witness a game in Beaver Stadium, 914 fans short of the attendance for Penn State's 40-7 victory over Nebraska in 2002. But that game was decided long before the last seconds ticked away. This affair was the type most will keep encapsulated, with the idea of uncorking the cap years from now just to say "remember when."

This time there would be no blowout against the Buckeyes, no huge second-half rally, no start-to-finish domination as if it were a non-conference opponent. No, this was one tailor-made for primetime, with the game decided in the final moments.

The Lions took a 14-10 lead into the third quarter. The only points scored in the second half came on a 41-yard Kevin Kelly field goal. Leading 17-10 with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Lions prepared for the biggest defensive stand of their season. On second-and-7 from the Lions' 45-yard line, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith was sacked by senior defensive end Tamba Hali, forcing a fumble on the play. Paxson pounced on the ball as if his life depended on securing it.

"I was like, 'Don't do anything tricky, just get on it,' " Paxson said.

A couple kneel downs later, and it was over. Legitimacy had been achieved. On a day when the Lions offensive wasn't spectacular, at least it didn't turn the ball over for the second straight week. The unit made plays when needed and gave the Lions a chance in the end.

"We are a family out there," senior defensive end Matthew Rice said. "[Offensive tackle] Levi [Brown] said to me after the game, 'We had y'alls back against Northwestern, and y'all had our backs today.' It's a game, it's how we play together."

What does this all mean now?

"First of all, it means a bowl game," said freshman wideout Jordan Norwood, who finished the game with five catches for 36 yards. "It means we're getting this program back on the map. We're not there yet, this is just six wins; 6-5 isn't back on the map."

It is not yet mid-October, but the Lions have already assigned