| Score by Quarters | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Score |
| Purdue | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Penn State | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Scoring Summary | ||
| 1st | 5:57 | PUR - Ben Jones 50-yard field goal |
| 2nd | 9:56 | PUR - Brandon Jones 2-yard run (Jones kick) |
| 7:30 | PSU - Terrell Golden 37-yard pass from Mills (Gould kick) | |
| 0:24 | PSU - Robbie Gould 38-yard field goal | |
| 3rd | 11:00 | PUR - T. Stubblefield 40-yard pass from Orton (Jones kick) |
| 4:00 | PSU - Robbie Gould 27-yard field goal | |
| 4th | 2:48 | PUR - Ben Jones 46-yard field goal |
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who rarely shows his
hand, laid his cards out on the table for all to see last night in the
aftermath of yet another Nittany Lions defeat.
The exasperation and angst were evident on his scowling face as
he stalked into a news conference in the bowels of Beaver Stadium after
a 20-13 loss to Purdue and announced that none of his players would be
permitted to talk to the media. "And you're not going to get a lot
of time with me, either," he said.
Just in case no one had noticed how frustrated he was, Paterno
made it quite clear. Again and again.
"I'm frustrated because we have a bunch of great kids who
are busting their butts," he said. "I'm not in the mood.
"We played a really good team. Wisconsin was a really good
team. Minnesota was a really good team. We're Penn State. We're supposed
to win those games. Until we do, I'm not going to be happy.
"We're better than we were a week ago, but we weren't good
enough, and I'm tired of not being good enough. That's why I'm so frustrated.
"Somehow, somewhere, we've got to take a look at ourselves
and figure out how we can win a game. Simple as that."
Paterno was wringing his hands in search of answers after Penn
State went chest to chest with ninth-ranked Purdue and its brilliant quarterback,
Kyle Orton, only to lose another Big Ten Conference game before a home
crowd of 108,183 that was much noisier than usual.
The Boilermakers (5-0, 2-0 conference) went into the game averaging
47.2 points a game, second in the nation. Orton had not thrown an interception
and had been sacked only three times. But the Nittany Lions (2-4, 0-3)
intercepted him twice and sacked him three times.
Penn State went with a defensive scheme that kept Orton and Purdue
off-balance for most of the game. The Nittany Lions did so even after
losing their leading tackler, outside linebacker Paul Posluszny, early
in the third quarter to a shoulder injury.
"They did a good job of changing up their coverages,"
Boilermakers coach Joe Tiller said. "It was the most combination
of coverages we've seen."
Added Orton, who was held to season lows of 275 yards passing and
one touchdown throw: "That's the best defense we've faced so far.
They're big and physical, and they had a good scheme. They made us get
out of a lot of things we wanted to do."
Dan Connor made his first start for Penn State at middle linebacker.
The freshman from Strath Haven High had been backing up Derek Wake at
outside linebacker. After practicing for one day in the middle, where
he was filling in for injured Tim Shaw, he tied for the team high with
10 tackles.
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Meanwhile, Penn State was turnover-free, and Zack Mills, who was under constant pressure, completed 29 of 49 passes for 293 yards and a TD even though he took several punishing hits.
"That was one of the gutsiest performances I've seen," Tiller said of Mills' effort.
But the Nittany Lions long ago forgot how to win tough games against ranked teams, and such was the case against Purdue.
After the Boilermakers took a 17-10 lead on a 40-yard TD pass from Orton to Taylor Stubblefield early in the third quarter, Penn State had first downs on the Purdue 16, 11, 31 and 33, yet managed only three points on four drives. A 27-yard field goal by Robbie Gould pulled the Nittany Lions to within 17-13 with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Gould could have kicked a chip-shot field goal on fourth and 5 at the Purdue 6, but Penn State went with a fake and came up short as Mills, the holder, was stopped at the 4.
"We thought we had it," Paterno said. "We practiced it all week, and they gave us a look, and we thought we had it. Obviously, if it works, it's a great play. If not, you're a bum."
Tiller said the Boilermakers were not prepared for the fake and praised linebacker Stanford Keglar for stopping Mills.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Gould missed a 45-yard field-goal attempt. Still, time remained for Penn State to pull out a victory. But a huge 17-yard catch-and-run by receiver Dorien Bryant, a 5-foot-10 freshman from Kingsway High in Gloucester County, on third and 14 gave Purdue a first down on the Penn State 44. It kept alive a drive that led to Ben Jones' 46-yard field goal with 2:48 to go, which made the score 20-13.
Penn State didn't relent. Rodney Kinlaw stirred the crowd by returning the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to the Purdue 33. On third and 10, Purdue cornerback Sean Petty was called for pass interference. The Nittany Lions figured they had a first down. But the penalty was waved off when the officials ruled that the pass had been tipped.
"The umpire said the ball was tipped," Paterno said. "He's got better eyes than I have. I'm not sure [it was tipped]. I don't know. He was closer to it than I was."
The play only compounded Paterno's frustration. Penn State is off next weekend, and Paterno said he and his players need the break. "I think emotionally we're drained," he said. "I know I am."