Nittany Lions thump Wolverines

Thousands of white pompoms fluttered and 100,000 Penn State fans broke into a sing-along as night fell on Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.

Joe Paterno’s greatest nemesis was about to be vanquished by the third-ranked Nittany Lions and the 81-year-old coach had a bird’s-eye view of party time in Happy Valley.

Yep, JoePa’s getting a really good look at his latest national championship contender.

Behind the running of Evan Royster and a few momentum-shifting plays by the defense and special teams, the Nittany Lions withstood the Wolverines’ early 17-7 lead and snapped a nine-game losing streak to their Big Ten rivals, 46-17 Saturday.

Paterno wasn’t on the field to enjoy his record 380th victory, relegated to working from the press box for a third consecutive week because of soreness in his hip and leg.

“My being upstairs – it’s funny, I’m not sure that’s not the best place for a head coach,” he said. “I mean, you really get a view of things.”

No team had won as many in a row against Penn State during Paterno’s 43 seasons as Michigan. But if there was an opportunity for the Nittany Lions (8-0, 4-0) to break the streak it was now. The Wolverines (2-5, 1-2) have struggled mightily in their first season under coach Rich Rodriguez.

Michigan came in a school-record 231/2-point underdog.

Penn State deciphered the Wolverines’ spread and delivered the knockout punch with a safety, a partially blocked punt and a forced fumble on consecutive second-half Michigan possessions.

Royster ran for 174 yards on 18 carries, with a 44-yard TD run in the first quarter.

(7) Texas Tech 43, Texas A&M 25: Graham Harrell threw for 450 yards and three TDs and ran for two more as Texas Tech (7-0, 3-0 Big 12) beat the Aggies (2-5, 0-3) in College Station , Texas, giving the Red Raiders their best start in 32 years.

(8) Oklahoma State 34, Baylor 6: Dez Bryant had a career-high 11 catches for 212 yards and two touchdowns and Keith Toston added two scoring runs as the Cowboys (7-0, 3-0 Big 12) beat the Bears (3-4, 1-2) to set up a showdown on Saturday at No. 1 Texas.

(10) Georgia 24, (22) Vanderbilt 14: Knowshon Moreno rushed for a season-high 172 yards, freshman A.J. Green had 132 yards receiving and the Bulldogs (6-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) held on to beat the Commodores (5-2, 3-2) in Athens, Ga.

(12) Ohio State 45, (20) Michigan State 7: Terrelle Pryor ran for a score and threw for another in the first half, helping the Buckeyes (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) build a four-touchdown lead on the way to a rout over the Spartans (6-2, 3-1) in East Lansing, Mich.

(13) LSU 24, South Carolina 17: Charles Scott scored on a 2-yard TD run with 4:16 remaining, LSU held South Carolina to minus-7 yards in the fourth quarter and the Tigers (5-1, 3-1 SEC) beat the Gamecocks (5-3, 2-3) in Columbia, S.C.

(14) Utah 49, Colorado State 16: Backup quarterback Corbin Louks ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns and starter Brian Johnson threw two touchdown passes as the Utes (8-0, 4-0 Mountain West Conference) defeated the Rams (3-4, 1-2) in Salt Lake City.

Boston College 28, (17) Virginia Tech 23: Rich Gunnell returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and the Eagles (5-1, 2-1 ACC) overcame three interceptions and a fumble by quarterback Chris Crane to upset the Hokies (5-2, 2-2) in Boston.

Virginia 16, (18) North Carolina 13 (OT): Cedric Peerman scored on a 2-yard run in overtime to give the Cavaliers (4-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) an upset win over the Tar Heels (5-2, 1-2) in Charlottesville, Va.

(19) South Florida 45, Syracuse 13: Quarterback Matt Grothe threw three touchdown passes and ran for another and the Bulls (6-1, 1-1 Big East) topped the Orange (1-6, 0-3) in Tampa, Fla.

Maryland 26, (21) Wake Forest 0: Chris Turner threw for 321 yards to back a strong defensive showing by the Terrapins (5-2, 2-1 ACC), who struck a high note in an up-and-down season by beating the Demon Deacons (4-2, 2-1) in College Park, Md.

(23) Pittsburgh 42, Navy 21: LeSean McCoy rushed for three touchdowns and had 156 yards to help the Panthers (5-1) rout the Midshipmen (4-3) before a record Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium crowd of 37,970 in Annapolis, Md.