CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- In a pregame meeting, Jay Paterno told his guys to set aside what was at stake Saturday afternoon.

Nevermind leaving Illinois 0-2 in the Big Ten would likely end any shot of a second straight conference title.

Jay's message hours before his offense had its best day of the year: Just remember how much fun it is to play football.

He told Daryll Clark to think back to the first time he stepped on Volney Rogers Field in Youngstown, Ohio.

Lou Eliades went back to ninth grade and remembered how much he enjoyed the sport when he first started playing.

Saturday's performance was needed.

Another lackluster win against a poor team wouldn't have changed anyone's perception that this offense is too thin up front and doesn't have the playmakers to move the ball when necessary.

Coach Joe Paterno said he was anxious to see how his team would respond from a tough loss and was looking for fighters.

"I know more about it," Joe Paterno said about his team. "I don't know whether we're home free yet."

With a 28-10 lead in the fourth quarter, Penn State's bench was all smiles. Two plays after freshman defensive end Sean Stanley forced a fumble, running back Brent Carter took an 11-yard stretch run inside the right pylon.

Back on the sidelines, Carter, who scored his first touchdown since injuring his knee, received repeated shoulder pad and helmet taps from Clark.

It's easy to feel good after a big win like Saturday.

The Nittany Lions answered whether they could rebound from a loss.

But they haven't show whether they can keep themselves from becoming unglued during in-game adversity like last week.

Illinois never threatened to score for most of the second half when the game was within reach.

How would Penn State have come out in the third quarter if it went into the locker room down three instead of up four?

Even with a slim lead, the Lions knew they had to be in attack mode right away.

"We had a sense of urgency," Clark said about the second-half adjustments. "The coaches came to us like, 'Look you're out there looking like you're having a little fun. Just continue to do that. But this drive, a couple of drives going into the third quarter have to be vital because we have to come out with some points.' "

That is what we learned about Penn State this week. They went for the knockout blow and connected.

They not only knocked out the Fighting Illini, they knocked out the critics, too.

"We all banded together," Clark said. "Forget everyone else, forget everyone else, let's just go out and play Penn State football."