Wayne Younger, Florida International's starting quarterback, walked out of his locker room and into the visitor's media room with his right shoulder and ankle taped, his right arm covered in ice bags.
"I'm a little banged up," he said. "I took some shots."
The redshirt freshman -- who was named his team's starter the night before Saturday's game -- had just been constantly hurried, chased and sacked by a Penn State defense that allowed no points and let FIU inside the red zone just once.
The shutout performance, the Nittany Lions' third in their last six games, didn't allow the opposing quarterback many opportunities for success in his first collegiate game. But Younger did learn some lessons, ones that perhaps accentuated Penn State's defensive strengths more than anything.
"Make quick decisions," Younger said when asked what he could take from the 59-0 result. "Definitely watch out for blitzes and pressure ... and if I have to, run."
The concerns that several Penn State coaches and players voiced heading into the game about what offensive sets FIU may run given their new coaching staff and many new starting personnel, proved to be nothing of substance.
"Athletically, we might have been a little better," said linebacker Sean Lee, who led the Lions with seven solo tackles, one sack and one forced fumble, which occurred when Lee ripped the ball from Younger's hands in the first quarter.
"I liked the fact that I was able to hit him, recognize he had the ball, and strip it out," Lee added afterward.
The Golden Panthers, a member of the Sun Belt conference, didn't enter Penn State's red zone until the final minute of the first half as they completed their lone extended offensive drive. That series of plays ended, though, in a blocked field goal which Lee recovered.
Younger was sacked four times and forced to scramble often until he was relieved midway through the third quarter by true freshman Colt Anderson, who was sacked more times (three) than passes he attempted. Penn State's seven sacks came from seven different players, five from the Lions' young defensive line.
"It was tough for me to key on them because our down linemen, our front seven, did a great job getting to the ball," said safety Anthony Scirrotto, who would normally look at opposing backs and receivers to make defensive reads.
The Lions defense forced five turnovers, all of them fumbles, and held FIU to -3 yards rushing and 117 yards passing. The 114 yards of total offense were the third-fewest allowed by Penn State in Joe Paterno's 42 seasons as head coach.
"When you play defense, there's a couple things to worry about: Win the game, keep them out of the end zone, and create turnovers," defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said. "We did all three today."
Defensive notes & quotes: Ollie Ogbu, Jared Odrick, Maurice Evans and Josh Gaines started the game on the defensive line. "I felt like I was a player again," said Odrick, a sophomore who played sparingly last year. "I felt like that I was out there actually doing my thing, and actually getting out there and being part of the football team." He finished with three tackles and one sack. ... Dan Connor, overshadowed most of the game by Lee, registered five tackles and one sack. ... Lee was named Big Ten defensive player of the week
