WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Leave it to Paul Posluszny to find some fault in a stellar effort.

The senior All-America linebacker tallied nine total tackles -- all solo -- against Purdue on Saturday to move within eight tackles of breaking Greg Buttle's all-time Penn State record of 343 tackles.

But one play late in the second quarter stuck with Posluszny. Sitting on the Penn State 19-yard line, Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter dropped back to throw, eyeing senior wide receiver Jake Standeford on the left side of the field.

As Painter stood in the pocket, Posluszny tore through an open seam in the Boilermaker offensive line, leveling Painter just as the sophomore zipped off a last-nanosecond pass that Standeford dropped.

"I should have had a sack," Posluszny said, "but I was just a step late."

And if any credit were to go to anyone on that play, Posluszny wouldn't even give it to himself.

"On that particular play, our defensive lineman, actually him right there Ed Johnson," said Posluszny, pointing to the senior defensive tackle as he made his way out of the locker room, "did a great job of pulling up the offensive guard for me, and I was able to come through clean. That's what really made that play."

But whether he'll say it or not, Posluszny is the heart of Penn State's defense, a unit that has gone nine straight quarters without allowing a touchdown.

"Paul Posluszny carries this defense," Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said. "He does a lot of things for us a lot of people don't see. He's a tremendous leader. He's a tremendous person. He's a great example for anyone that plays football for Penn State."

The 2005 Butkus and Bednarik Award winner leads a group of linebackers that may be the most talented in Penn State's history. Junior Dan Connor was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Bednarik Award, given to the nation's top defensive player, along with Posluszny, last week. And sophomore Sean Lee has 62 total tackles on the season.

And against Purdue, "Linebacker U" certainly had a field day.

Connor led all Nittany Lion defenders against Purdue, tallying a game-high 10 total tackles, and intercepted a Painter pass late in the first quarter at the Penn State 17-yard line.

"If they score there, it could be a whole different ball game," Posluszny said. "That was a huge play."

With the Boilermakers consistently spreading the Lions defense out by playing up to five wideouts, it was easy for the Penn State linebackers to put up huge numbers.

"Personally, I like to go against an offense that tries to run it down your throat 'cause that's more of a linebacker game," Connor said. "This is kind of more of a 7-on-7 type of thing with passing."

Lee recorded seven total tackles and his second sack of the season.

But it's Posluszny that garners most of the attention -- on and off the field. Boasting a 3.56 grade point average in finance, Posluszny became the seventh Penn State player to earn both All-America and Academic All-America honors in 2005.

"He's just the perfect Penn State linebacker," senior defensive tackle Jay Alford said.

When Penn State takes on Wisconsin next week in Madison, Posluszny will likely surpass Buttle's mark.

Asked if he might short arm a few tackles just to break the record in front of his home fans, Posluszny gave the type of answer everyone has come to expect from him.

"I don't think we'll have the luxury to do that against Wisconsin," he said.