aight, we're heading to the field, check yall later

***

Today's crowd is the fourth largest in Beaver Stadium history, 110,017.

***

With the scoring margin growing seemingly every second, AP voters around the country who didn't watch the game and only saw the final score might think about vaulting the Lions past Alabama after the Crimson Tide sneaked by Ole Miss by four.

But those same voters might have had a different impression had the watched the Lions in the first half.

***

And Travis makes a great observation, he said the students are ripping apart an inflatable palm tree.

***

Doesn't really matter, two plays later Clark once again shoves it in from the "one-foot" line and the Lions are firmly in control.

PSU 36 Michigan 17, 12:19 4th quarter

Drive Summary: 5 plays, 19 yards, 1:29

***

And after review, it's ruled that Norwood was down at the one-foot line, but I thought the lines are only every yard . . . Where's this one-foot line the ref is talking about, is it somewhere in Alice's wonderland?

***

On third down, Clark hits Norwood streaking across the middle, and he outruns the Michigan defense to the corner of the end zone, or so it appears, we'll see after the review.

***

But it might be too late, facing a 3rd and 5 at its own 26, Aaron Maybin came from Threet's blindslide, tomahawk chopped the ball out of his hands and Koroma recovered inside the red zone.

1st and 10 Penn State at the Michigan 19.

***

And Threet's back in the game.

***

With the 3rd quarter coming to a close, Penn State is sitting with a decision, 4th and 1 and the Lions elect to kick the field goal, and Kelly hits the 32-yarder to make it a 12-point game.

PSU 29 Michigan 17, 14:56 4th quarter

Drive Summary: 5 plays, 23 yards, 2:08

***

Penn State's special teams strikes again, but this time it's not Derrick Williams. With Mesko rolling out to try avoid kicking to Williams, Lion reserve linebacker Nate Stupar, State College's own, broke through the line and blocked Mesko's kick. Penn State took over at the Michigan 35.

Quick second half stat, average starting field position:

Michigan -- Own 16
Penn State -- Own 49

***

The Penn State defense forces another three-and-out and this game is close to getting out of hand.

***

Sheridan's in again, so something must be wrong with Threet, especially considering he's now wearing a sleeve on his right arm, the same arm that was hurt against Toldeo. But he is throwing on the sideline, so he may see the field again.

***

After a 25-yard Clark to Butler hookup put the Lions at the Michigan 22, Royster broke off a 21-yard run down to the Wolverine one and Clark punched it in for the touchdown.

PSU 26 Michigan 17, 3:04 3rd quarter

Drive Summary: 4 plays, 50 yards, 1:35

***

On Michigan's free kick, Wolverine punter Zoltan Mesko kicked it out of bounds and Penn State takes over 1st and 10 at the 50-yard line. So the Lions have a two point lead and great field position, and there's just a feeling in the air that the momentum is shifting (as cliche as it sounds).

***

On 3rd and 18 from Michigan's own 5, Sheridan is sacked in the end zone for a safety. Odrick got the sack and Penn State takes the lead and will get the ball. Wonder if Rodriguez is regretting his decision now.

PSU 19 Michigan 17, 4:39 3rd quarter.

***

Nick Sheridan is now in at quarterback for Michigan. Not sure what Rodriguez is thinking here, maybe just trying to shake things up a little bit, but Sheridan has thrown 6 INTs to 1 TD on the year and is not as mobile as Threet. We'll see how the switch goes.

Threet's on the sideline wearing a baseball hat with the headphones on, but doesn't appear to be hurt.

***

Not only did that Penn State drive tie the game, it also gave the Lion offense some extra time to take a breath after getting gassed during the first half.

***

Penn State is moving the ball well, and a nice ball from Clark to Butler would have been a touchdown but when Butler hit the ground the ball came out. The Lions' drive stalls at the 25 and a Kevin Kelly 42-yard field goal ties the game at 17.

PSU 17 Michigan 17, 6:46 3rd quarter

Drive Summary: 14 plays, 61 yards, 4:17

***

Just as I speak, Maurice Evans gives Penn State its first sack and the Lions for a Michigan punt and take over 1st and 10 from their own 14.

***

After a Steven Threet fumble on the first play from scrimmage, which he recovered, Michigan is methodically moving the ball running at the gaps in the Penn State D. The Lions are sending blitzers from the outside, but Threet and Minor just split the seam and run between the tackle and the blitzer.

***

Howdy yall, it's Wible here to take you through the 3rd quarter. Just got word from Travis down by the Penn State tunnel that Lion safety Anthony Scirrotto suffered a mild concussion during the first half and is out for the rest of the game.

***

Clark to Norwood, Touchdown! 17-14 Michigan.

After 28 minutes of domination by Michigan, the Lions only trail by three, the Michigan defense is starting to look tired, and the fans are starting to get back into the game.

Sets up for what could be an epic second half in Happy Valley between two of college football's biggest programs.

***

2:01 to go, and after a personal foul on Michigan the Lions will start the drive near midfield. They are in desperate need of a score heading into halftime.

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Inches short

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After nearly getting sacked on a screen play Clark took a few seconds to get up, while clutching his shoulder.

However, on third and nine, Clark scrambles before finding Evan Royster near the first down marker. Waiting for a measurement.

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Just talked to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the only writer in this press box with a vote in the AP poll, and all he said was Penn State's moving "way down."

-- Wible

***

On third-and-one, Clark drops the snap, his second fumble of the game. Kevin Kelly's 45-yard field goal try hits the right upright and bounces back into the field of play. Still 17-7, as the Lions get no points out of a drive that looked promising but was killed by another Nittany Lion mistake.

Still no sign of Scirrotto

***

The Penn State offense has been on the field for just 4:38, while UM has had the ball for 15:17. The Lions' defense looks tired, and this may expain why.

***

Anthony Scirrotto is on the sideline helmetless, while the rest of the defense is on the field. It is unclear why he isn't out there, but he is not getting looked at by trainers.

After a punt, Michigan has the ball and is spreading out the PSU defense, consistently using four wide receiver sets.

***

Touchdown Michigan on a Minor run up the middle. 17-7.

The ensuing kick sails out of bounds. Michigan has dominated the early stages of the game aside from a few special teams blunders, and Royster's run.

Eerily quiet at Beaver Stadium.

***

Led by Threet's legs, the Wolverines have marched the ball into the red zone. If Threet can handle the defense like this, the Lions may be in for a long afternoon today, and a long night when they face off against Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes in Columbus next Saturday.

***

Threet is picking apart the Lions secondary whenever he sees a blitz. He is 2 for 2 on the drive for 49 yards. The Lions aren't getting much of a pass rush, forcing the defensive backs into man-to-man coverage.

10-7, end of the first quarter. Time for the mascot's performance of "Thriller" in front of a stunned whited-out student section.

***

On the ensuing kick, Michael Mauti delivers one of the biggest hits of the season, forcing a fumble.

But despite having a clear path to the ball Brandon Beachum can't recover, and the Wolverines come out of the pile with the ball.

Michigan is now driving again, with the ball almost at midifeld.

So far, a good old-fashioned hard hitting Big Ten game.

***

The Lions capitalize two plays later, when Evan Royster breaks a tackle and runs 44 yards to paydirt.

Touchdown Penn State 10-7

***

Michigan is kicking away from Williams, but Chaz Powell takes the kick to midfield, giving the Lions a short field, down ten.

***

10-0 Michigan after a 27-yard field goal sailed through the uprights. Before the field goal the Lions were called for having 12 men on the field, but the penalty ended up being inches short of a first down, so Rich Rodriguez decided to kick. The Lions seem taken aback by Michigan's no-huddle.

D-Wil back to return the kick...

***

Brandon Minor, takes a handoff 26 yards into PSU territory.

The fans seem stunned. Even the student section has had it's decibel level cut in half from what it was at the beginning of the game.

Michigan is running a no-huddle, giving the PSU defense, and the White-out student section little time to prepare.

***

After a couple decent runs from Royster and Clark, respectively, Clark is hit hard and coughs up the ball. It's very close, but looks like it was out before he hit the ground.

***

Touchdown Michigan, 7-0 Wolverines.

Minor took Threet's handoff and dashed six yards for the score.

The Wolverines marched down the field very methodically, going 86 yards in 14 plays. The drive featured several plays run from the spread option, which has given the Lions trouble this season.

Illinois used the spread option successfully against Penn State at some points and Ohio State will most likely run a similar offense.

***

The Wolverines decide to go for it on fourth and one. Two Lions linebackers had Michigan RB Branon Minor in the backfield but he escaped them and lunged forward for the first down by the length of a football.

***

Michigan TE Kevin Koger catches a Steven Threet pass at the 36-yard line. The play was reviewed even though it seemed clear that he caught the ball. The review lasted only a few seconds before the referee confirmed the call on the field.

Michigan is driving and is on the edge of field goal range

***

First play, Clark fumbles and the entire stadium lets out a loud groan. After a completion to Butler, Clark overthrows an open Mickey Shuler. The Lions are forced to punt, but Greg Matthews can't handle the kick and fumbles out of bounds. Looks like each team is experiencing some early jitters.

***

Hey folks, it's AJ Cassavell, blogging for the first half.

It's about five minutes from kickoff, and the S-zone is starting to take shape with pink and black shirts instead of the usual blue and white. The student section is just about full, and is in its usual "best in the nation" form for any game of this magnitude.

In other Big Ten news, Ohio State is beating Michigan State 21-0. If the Lions can get past the Wolverines next week's game could likely decide the Big Ten, and maybe a national title spot.

***

Paterno's down on the field walking without a cane. He's still ginger, but moving much better than he has in recent weeks. A line of photographers waited for him, and Paterno shooed them away, much like he did when he was coming off the bus.

He shooed them away once and nobody moved; then he put up his arms and scolded them once again. That time they moved.

***

Michigan might be 2-4, but they've got great team morale builders. The Wolverines lined up in a semicircle and went around slapping each other's hands. Frankly, it looked like something I'd expect to see a high school girls basketball team do, not the winningest college football program in NCAA history.

The team headed into the locker room. Penn State still out warming up.

-- JL

***

Joe Paterno used his cane to get off the team bus, took about five steps and then ditched it. Paterno was walking better, but it remains to be seen where he'll coach from. Apparently, he told a fan during a Paternoville visit yesterday he would be on the sidelines, so we'll see if that's the case.

The team pulled up a few minutes after 3 p.m., and the entrance was packed with Penn State fans. Some spots were six or seven people deep. It was a pretty raucous crowd, and recruits Gerald Hodge and Kevin Newsome seemed pretty impressed. Newsome couldn't stop smiling.

-- JL

***

Good afternoon. This is Travis coming to you live from the press box inside Beaver Stadium where the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions are set to take on the Michigan Wolverines.

We're still more than an hour away from kickoff, but that's just enough time to preview today's matchup.

Penn State has started to garner national attention and for good reason. The Lions are blowing opponents out of the water. So far this season, the Lions have won every game by 14 points or more. Yikes.

Michigan is headed in the other direction. The Wolverines are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Toledo Rockets last weekend. Overall, under new head coach Rich Rodriguez, Michigan is 2-4.

There were questions earlier this week whether or not Wolverine quarterback Steven Threet would play today due to a bruise on his throwing elbow. It looks like Threet will get the start today, however. The QB is currently warming up and looks like he's throwing the ball without any discomfort.

As for Penn State's injuries, sophomore wideout Brett Brackett will play today despite suffering a concussion last week against Wisconsin. Joe Paterno confirmed on his weekly radio show Thursday night that Brackett would play.

As for the fans, the student section is filling up quickly and fans have started to file in for today's game. I just took a look through my binoculars and the S Zone shirts are pink and black -- Penn State's original colors -- neat. It should look sweet against the White Out.

Maybe Michigan senior cornerback Morgan Trent will appreciate the pink shirts?

I spoke with Trent this summer while in Chicago and he had a lot of good things to say about playing in Beaver Stadium.

"It's a great atmosphere," Trent said. "I love playing there. Who wouldn't want to play there with all those fans and they're extremely loud, they're great."

Trent also had some words about Penn State senior wideout, Derrick Williams.

"He's a good player," Trent said of Williams. "This will be my fourth year playing him. We've had our experiences together. He's a good receiver, a quick receiver. We definitely gameplan for the top receivers on any team. So we're going to look at the playmakers from every team and go from there."

The big question today. Will the Wolverines kick to Williams?

So far this season, Williams has burned teams with his kick and punt return abilities.

Williams has returned one punt and two kicks for touchdowns this season. Williams is averaging just over 11 yards per punt return but is gaining a scary average of 33.4 yards on kick returns.

The wideout was asked earlier this week, would he kick to himself?

"Not at all," Williams said. "Everybody knows that at any given time we can just break one. So, it's just not me. The whole punt return and kick return teams work together. Everyone is just so excited."

The teams are both on the field now doing the usual -- warming up as individual units. We'll check back with you before kickoff. If any news breaks, you'll read it hear first.

--TJ