LOOKING AHEAD
Penn State (4-1) at Michigan (4-1), 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich. The Nittany Lions haven't beaten the Wolverines since 1996.
NOTEBOOK
QB Zack Mills' shoulder was injured on a quarterback draw on the second drive of the game. He was driven into the turf for a 4-yard loss. He came back on the next play and threw a 22-yard strike to Gerald Smith on third-and-19 to keep the touchdown drive alive. Mills went to the locker room after the drive and was evaluated. He was diagnosed with a sprained AC joint of his left (throwing) shoulder, but he didn't miss a play the rest of the game. "I couldn't relax my arm," Mills said. "Once we came back out of the locker room, it was OK. It was pretty painful when it first happened. But after I went back out there, I think the adrenaline took over." Mills said he did not expect the injury to keep him out of any games. Matt Senneca had the same injury last season and missed the Michigan game.
RB Larry Johnson's 43-yard run in the third quarter was his longest run of the season. One play after the run, he limped to the sideline holding his hamstring, and the Lions had to finish the drive without him. FB Sean McHugh scored the first touchdown of his career on third-and-goal from the 1 to give the Lions a 28-14 lead. Johnson returned for the next series, but sophomore RB Mike Gasparato played after that. Coach Joe Paterno said after the game that the injury was not serious. Johnson finished with 114 yards on 14 carries. Gasparato had 15 yards on six carries and a big 25-yard reception on a first-and-25 that helped to set up Robbie Gould's 51-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
QB Zack Mills broke Penn State's record for passing yards in consecutive games. He had 287 yards yesterday and threw for 686 in the past two games, breaking Kerry Collins' record of 630 set in 1993.
It took five games, but a receiver other than Bryant Johnson or Tony Johnson finally had a catch. Sophomore Gerald Smith had a 22-yard reception on third-and-19 to keep the Lions' second scoring drive alive. The Lions went almost one year between pass completions to another receiver. Eddie Drummond caught a pass against Michigan Oct. 6, 2001.
Penn State hadn't beaten Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium since 1996. The Lions snapped a two-game losing streak against the Badgers and now trail, 5-3, in the series.
The Penn State defensive front four had its best game of the season. DT Jimmy Kennedy and DE Michael Haynes each had three sacks.
Penn State shut out an opponent in the first quarter for the second time this season. The Lions also did not allow Nebraska to score a point in the first quarter.
Penn State scored on its first three possessions for the second time this season. The Lions also scored on their first three drives against Louisiana Tech.
B.J. Tucker's 65-yard interception return in the second quarter was Wisconsin's first interception return for a touchdown since Mike Echols returned one 56 yards against Minnesota in 2000.
Freshman DB Anwar Phillips played in the nickel package. He took the place of Paul Cronin, who is now the backup to Chris Harrell at hero. Phillips was switched from receiver to defensive back after the Central Florida game.
LBs Deryck Toles (sprained ankle) and Sam Ruhe (neck) did not make the trip. Ruhe, a junior, is a candidate to be redshirted because of his injury.
Wisconsin WR Lee Evans did not dress for the game. Evans, the leading receiver in the conference last season, has yet to play this season because of a knee injury.
Michael Haynes led the team in tackles with nine. It was the first time in seven games that someone other than Shawn Mayer led the team in tackles.
One week after giving up 224 yards rushing to Iowa, the Penn State rush defense came up with a strong effort, limiting the Badgers to 134 yards on 36 carries (3.7 yards per carry).
It's beginning to look as if the Penn State coaches made the correct decision in giving K Robbie Gould a scholarship before the season. Gould booted four field goals yesterday and is now 8 for 9 for the season. His only miss was a 48-yarder against Central Florida in the opening week. Gould, a sophomore, convinced Paterno to let him attempt a 51-yarder with 7:36 remaining, a kick that gave the Lions a 31-23 lead. "I'm confident," said Gould, who carried a game ball into the postgame news conference. "I said, 'Hey, Coach, give it to me.' They had the confidence that I could go out there and do my job, and that's what I did." Gould had a busy day after not attempting a field goal in the previous two games. He also made kicks from 33, 42 and 40 yards.
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