Down 21-0 late in the first half, Matt McGloin knew he needed to get the Lions on the board before halftime.  McGloin led a 9-play 91 yard drive that ended with a 7 yard touchdown pass to Brett Brackett, and the Lions rallied to score 28 more unanswered points in the second half to defeat the Northwestern Wildcats 35-21.

The win for Penn State (6-3, 3-2) was important for several reasons.  The sixth win makes the Lions bowl-eligible, but more importantly it was Joe Paterno’s 400^th win as coach at Penn State.  Paterno is the first D-1 coach to win 400 games, and he was honored after the game with a presentation by the school’s athletic director and university president.

After Saturday’s performance, it will be tough for the coaching staff not to have McGloin calling the shots next week in Columbus.  Replacing starting quarterback Robert Bolden in the last minute of the first quarter, McGloin got off to a slow start until the last drive of the first half.

The Lions looked like a completely different team in the second half.  They scored touchdowns on all three of their third quarter drives and the defense pitched a second half shutout.  The most impressive drive of the game that really made a statement was the Lions’ opening second half drive. 

After Stephfon Green got to the Lions 16-yard line, the offense went to work.  The drive totaled 14 plays, 84 yards and almost six minutes of possession.  Everyone got involved including Evan Royster, Silas Redd and Michael Zordich on the ground and Joe Suhey, Devon Smith and Nate Cadogan through the air.  Cadogan, listed as an offensive tackle on the roster, caught the three yard touchdown pass while being placed as the third tight end in a goal line formation.

The three touchdowns on offense and the two three-and-outs the Lions defense put on the Wildcats in that third quarter undeniably marked the best all around quarter the team played all season.

The Lions continued to have the game under control in the fourth quarter behind strong running from true freshman Silas Redd.  Redd gained 58 of his personal best 131 yards in the fourth quarter thanks in part to the holes the Lions offensive line were making for the runners.  The Lions added another touchdown early in the fourth, their fourth straight scoring drive and put away the Wildcats 35-21.

This was a great win for the Lions.  The ceremony for Joe Paterno’s 400^th left most of those in Beaver Stadium in their seats well after the game was over.  There are a lot of positives to be taken away from this game from the Lions standpoint. 

They battled back into the game after a miserable beginning, the offense under McGloin is moving the football well both on the ground and in the air and the defense made the necessary adjustments to stop Dan Persa and the Wildcats offense when it needed to most.

The Lions have a tough road matchup next week but at the end of Paterno’s 400^th win ceremony, the coach gave fans plenty to talk about leading up to next week’s game in Columbus.

“Now that the celebration’s over, let’s go beat Ohio State,” Paterno said to a roaring crowd in Beaver Stadium.