The starting gun was the snap of the ball and the finish line was Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Donovan.
Maurice Evans said "meet me at the quarterback," and took off. It didn't take him long to complete the course.
Evans, a sophomore defensive end, won a race that almost every Penn State defensive linemen entered. He finished with two sacks and three tackles, all for losses.
But he wasn't the only one who found success rattling Donovan, the Badgers' first-year starter.
The Nittany Lions' defense constantly chased the Badgers' first-year starter all day, sacking him five times and hitting him many more.
After one first-quarter completion, Donovan and one of his cleats took separate paths. The quarterback fell to the ground beneath linebacker Sean Lee. His cleat was knocked from his foot and rested a few yards away until an offensive lineman returned it.
"One time, Mo [Maurice] got a sack, and I didn't think he was getting up," defensive end Josh Gaines said of Donovan. "He got up real slowly. He's a tough quarterback though. I'll give him that. We hit him a lot this game."
Before anyone had a chance to hit Donovan, Gaines forced a P.J. Hill fumble on the Badgers' first play.
But it wasn't long before the defense doubled Wisconsin's average of 2.5 sacks allowed per game.
The Lions finished the first half with two sacks, one each from Evans and linebacker Dan Connor. Evans added another in the second along with Gaines and Lee to give Penn State five total.
By the middle of third quarter, Connor said Donovan became audibly frustrated with his offensive linemen.
"When he starts getting up slower and starts getting on his offensive lineman a little bit, that's when you know you've got him," Connor said. "It's time to close the game out."
Or for the defensive line, that's when the race begins.
"We challenge each other," Gaines said of the attitude late in the game. "'I bet I can get there before you.' It's a challenge now, man. ... It's race now. Everyone wants to pad their stats when it gets like that. That's the fun game."
As for the stats, Evans didn't need to boost his. Just a sophomore, Evans ranks fifth nationally in tackles for loss (two per game) and is tied for 10th in sacks per game.
But did Evans win Saturday's race? Not exactly.
"We all did," he said. "Our saying is, 'I'll meet you at the quarterback or I'll meet you at the tackle.' That's what we do."
DEFENSIVE NOTES: Jerome Hayes, a key outside pass rushing lineman, was carted off the field in the fourth quarter after suffering a right knee injury. "It doesn't look good right now," defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said after the game. Team spokesman Jeff Nelson said an update would be available later today.
Starting defensive tackle Jared Odrick fractured two bones in his left hand during a pass play in the second half. The injury won't require surgery, and Odrick said he will wear a hard cast that will allow him to practice. He shouldn't miss any time.
Reserve Tom McEowen took snaps in Odrick's place while Phil Taylor, listed at No. 2 behind Odrick on the depth chart, did not play. Joe Paterno said Taylor is in his proverbial "doghouse," for an unspecified reason.
