Forget about Daryll Clark showing he has the potential to be a big-time quarterback.

Forget about John Cappelletti, Penn State's only Heisman Trophy winner, duly noting Evan Royster's abilities.

And forget about the defense overcoming its own challenges to slow down a speedy Oregon State offense.

Arguably the most telling sign to emerge from Saturday's 45-14 all-too-easy win over Oregon State was Penn State's focus in the wake of another round of off-the-field incidents.

Beating the Beavers would have been one thing, but the way in which Penn State did it was another.

"Our focus was huge," linebacker and special teams ace Navorro Bowman said. "We're going to need focus throughout this whole season due to everything that's going on with the Penn State program. Focus is the main thing. Right now, we're on the right track."

All-American candidate Maurice Evans and defensive tackle Abe Koroma didn't suit up Saturday after police found marijuana in an apartment that university housing records show the two share with Andrew Quarless and A.J. Wallace.

Quarless and Wallace dressed, but Quarless never played and Wallace clearly wasn't in Paterno's plans after not entering as the nickel back until the fourth quarter.

Another player, defensive back Willie Harriott, added driving with a suspended license to the list of legal issues he has faced. Harriott was consequently kicked off the team.

For one afternoon, at least, none of the potential distractions impacted the team's play.

Some players were in a similar bind last season leading up to a game against Wisconsin.

Austin Scott was arrested on felony charges of rape, sexual assault and two counts of aggravated indecent assault.

A fight at the HUB-Robeson Center led to charges against former defensive tackle Chris Baker, Knowledge Timmons and Bowman.

And Paterno found himself at the center of a road rage incident on campus.

Still, the Nittany Lions played one of their best games of the season in thumping then-No. 19 Wisconsin, 38-7.

Subsequent losses to Ohio State and a collapse at Michigan State diminished the luster of the Wisconsin win, but this year's team looks capable of continuing to build off the Oregon State win for a number of reasons.

Most importantly, there's actually a leader -- and a playmaker -- playing quarterback.

This season's schedule is more favorable, too, with Illinois serving as what should be the only real test among the seven home games.

There also seems to be a determination and attitude that starts with this year's captains that hasn't been seen since the magical 2005 season.

Bowman said the main message of a meeting the team held after the latest run-ins with the law was a single-mindedness in getting the job done, and A.Q. Shipley felt the team was unified even more by the week's developments.

"Any time you have some adversity, you gotta rise up," Shipley said.

No one can dispute that happened Saturday.

Now, it just has to continue.

Josh Langenbacher is a senior majoring in journalism and is a Daily Collegian football writer. His e-mail address is jjl5031@psu.edu.