Anthony Scirrotto was one of the last players off the field Saturday, weaving his way through a maze of handshakes and pats on the back.

If he wasn't smiling from grabbing two interceptions and adding a game-sealing touchdown kickoff return, then the grin had to be from the chants of "Scir-rot-to" that echoed off the tunnel walls.

"That first half, I felt like it wasn't my half. But I had to make up for it in the second half -- and not only me, we did as a whole," Scirrotto said.

The sophomore safety still had sweat running down his brow at the interview room, and he was careful to cradle a football on his way to a seat. The gameball, as he explained, was "something the team was doing now."

But even teammate Ed Johnson acknowledged, in the beginning, Scirrotto seemed like the last player who would've carried that football out of the locker room.

"He wasn't playing so good at first before he got the first pick," Johnson said, before remarking how important Scirrotto's turnovers were.

Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley voiced a similar opinion. Scirrotto missed a tackle during Illinois' 79-yard run, the longest against Penn State since at least 1974, and he barked at Scirrotto on the sidelines after the play by saying "some things I can't repeat."

But Scirrotto more than redeemed himself.

Both interceptions halted Illini drives within Nittany Lion territory, and the onside kick return for a touchdown eliminated any Illinois comeback hopes.

"To be honest, I saw a huge hole, and I was just -- nobody was gonna get me down," Scirrotto said. "I wasn't letting anybody. I wanted to score big-time."

Prior to each snap, Scirrotto often flexed his fingers as if trying to outdraw a gunslinger. And, twice, he pulled the trigger -- twice, in the third quarter, he came away with the crucial interception.

He followed Juice Williams' eyes, stayed in his backpedal, and reached for the ball at its highest point, he said. He almost had another turnover in the final quarter but couldn't pull it in.

Still, the 29-yard kickoff return for a touchdown more than made up for it. It was Penn State's first onside kick returned for a score since Joe Jackson did it against Baylor in the 1975 Cotton Bowl.

Scirrotto pointed to the student section after sprinting across the goal line, while the crowd didn't need Zombie Nation to get to its feet. Scirrotto's teammates smothered him in the end zone with congratulations as the scoreboard changed one last time.

"It's exciting, but now it's over with and you gotta move on," Scirrotto said. "You can't get all wrapped up in the moment because we've got four big games coming up.

"I'm proud of the defense, and I'm proud of what I did today, but there's always room for improvement."