Daryll Clark took a hit from Illinois linebacker Brit Miller, lost the ball and Illinois recovered.

The Illini were up, 14-7, and had sucked the emotion out of the stadium White Out.

Then, in a twist of fate familiar to Saturday's 38-24 win over Illinois in the Big Ten opener, the call was overturned.

Officials saw on the replay Clark's knee was down and Penn State retained possession.

"That was a big play," center A.Q. Shipley said. "That's a huge call and overturn for us."

Huge enough that, six plays later, Clark's wheel route to Derrick Williams tied the game at 14.

Clark's fumble-that-wasn't was one of many bullets Penn State dodged. Knowledge Timmons couldn't get out of the way of a punt early in the second quarter. Penn State's defense had gotten its first stop of the game when the ensuing punt hit Timmons in the back. The Illini recovered but, upon review, officials determined the punt hit gunner Martez Wilson's left elbow before hitting Timmons.

Penn State again retained possession and again scored a touchdown that gave the Nittany Lions a 21-14 lead.

"I have been the guy pushing replay for 10 years, so I can't exactly gripe when they go to it," coach Joe Paterno said.

The two replays stood out.

But there were several other potential turning points that didn't materialize.

Illini defender Corey Liuget stripped Penn State running back Stephfon Green at Penn State's 28, and Wilson recovered.

Nothing mounted in Illinois' favor after the fumble recovery, though.

Bani Gbadyu and Mark Rubin brought down Illini wide receiver Chris Duvalt for a loss of five yards on first down, and Illinois eventually settled for a field goal.

"We gotta play in the moment," Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis said. "I feel that we gotta capitalize on the fumble. Every chance we get, we gotta capitalize. If you don't, the game goes either way. And it worked out for Penn State's favor."

Penn State guard Rich Ohrnberger may have summarized the game the best. He cited the tendency for the offense to pick up for the defense when the defense is struggling.

He said the defense carried the offense at points of Saturday's win and noted the strength of the special teams, including Derrick Williams' kickoff return.

"We just know how to win right now," Ohrnberger said.