With its come-from-behind win over Northwestern today, Penn State moves solidly into the top half of the Big Ten conference standings, with a conference record of 3-2. Michigan State is tops at 5-1, followed by Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa, at 4-1. The Nittany Lions’ lackluster point differential compared to those teams and their lack of a high-profile win shows they’re still a step behind the class of the conference, however, and their win today shows they’re very much a team in transition – Penn State pulled quarterback Rob Bolden and fell to a 21-0 deficit before a remarkable comeback that started at the tail end of the second half. What they’re transitioning to isn’t exactly clear, but for today, their quarterback switch worked just fine. The Nittany Lions managed to limit Northwestern’s offense to one person, more or less, with only star quarterback Dan Persa (well, and receiver Jeremy Ebert) doing much of anything, and they piled up 35 points after McGloin entered the game. Penn State is also now bowl-eligible. That’s worth celebrating.
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