It might not appear on the stat sheet, but wideout Deon Butler said you'd be surprised how many players take pride in it.

Whether it be downfield, by a receiver or a lineman, Butler said the Nittany Lions love to block. And, when it comes to the film room, that's sometimes the big topic.

"Guys are very excited, they're almost more excited than when you did a big play because guys saw that," Butler said. "The guys want you to see the block you never [noticed] -- like Brandon Peretta came over to me on the sideline, when we ran a little screen to Derrick, and he said he killed the linebacker."

And when asked about his blocking during Saturday's game, Butler was more than happy to share one of his favorite plays.

When freshman A.J. Wallace sprinted down the sideline on a 76-yard reverse in the second quarter, Butler ran with him. The entire way.

"I told A.J., man, he's lucky I like him because I almost stopped running and cut-blocked the guy," Butler said, smiling. "So I tried to run as fast as I can -- A.J. would tell you he slowed down -- he didn't slow down. I'm fast, too."

Center A.Q. Shipley also shared his two cents on blocking preferences, saying the offensive line would rather run-block because it presents more one-on-one situations. And the line certainly fared well in that department -- the Lions ran for an average of 10 yards per carry.

"When we threw three straight passes after we drove 70 yards, we were a little bummed out," Shipley said. "But we just wanted to run the ball -- that's what we want to do, that's the type of mentality we come with."

Day to remember

Offense: Tony Hunt. Hunt only carried the ball 18 times on Saturday, but he made the most of it. The bruising back pounded the Penguins with 143 rushing yards and one reception for 16 yards. Butler said it was the Hunt he remembered from last season, and Hunt seemed more than pleased with his performance.

Defense: Ed Johnson. The 290-pound senior finished with two sacks and was second on the team with five tackles. Johnson consistently fought off double teams and helped stuff the run, limiting Youngstown State to 47 rushing yards.

Day to forget

Offense: Anthony Morelli. The junior quarterback spread the ball around but couldn't pull the trigger on the deep ball. He was erratic most of the day, completing only 40.7 percent of his passes.

Defense: Jim Shaw. Sometimes, it's not about performance. Shaw might be a strong player and incredible athlete, but he suffered another injury to his ankle. According to Tom Bradley, Shaw's having trouble planting his foot. And that won't bode well for the Lions in the near future.

Quotable

Joe Paterno, when asked by a reporter -- who held his microphone upside-down -- whether Daryll Clark reminded him of Michael Robinson. Paterno responded "Not quite," but when the reporter asked again, "Could be?," Paterno fired right back.

"Yeah, it could be. And I could be God."

Did you notice?

Fans passing around a blow-up doll during the game... broken bleachers in the freshman section... how few Youngstown State fans showed up... the "Wallace's Warriors" sign... Penguin mascots waddling up and down the sidelines, taking Gatorade breaks... the servicemen dressed in uniform who were given a standing ovation by their section.

Extra point

Despite the coachspeak after the game, let's get one thing straight -- Youngstown State was NOT a tough opponent. If anything, it may have been a game to build confidence, but that's all. Hunt got back on track and the defense was impressive, but fans should take a wait-and-see approach to whether that continues against No. 1 Ohio State.