STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- After three years of being only a member of Penn State's tailback committee, Larry Johnson is starting to make the position his own.
   Johnson ran for 147 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns, and he added a third TD receiving, as 15th-ranked Penn State defeated Louisiana Tech 49-17 Saturday.
   "It seemed like we never tackled before,'' Louisiana Tech linebacker Curtis Randall said of his team's effort against Johnson. "He was running hard; we were making him look like he should be in the NFL.''
   Michael Robinson also had three touchdowns -- all on the ground -- as Penn State (3-0) scored 28 unanswered points in the third quarter to stretch a 21-17 lead.
   Johnson was at his best in the third quarter. He went around the left side of the line and broke five tackles on a 39-yard run, knocking over one defender and throwing another to the ground before finally being forced out of bounds.
   "Larry Johnson had a heck of a game, broke a lot of tackles,'' coach Joe Paterno said. "That means a lot.''
   On the last play of the quarter, Johnson got the ball on a first-and-goal and got stopped at the line before he simply powered his way into the end zone to push the Nittany Lions' lead to 49-17.
   "I just want that intensity and that drive on every play,'' Johnson said. "I don't want people to think I can be brought down by just one guy.''
   Part of that intensity comes from having to share time with Eric McCoo and Omar Easy during the last two years -- the first consecutive losing seasons in Paterno's career. McCoo and Easy graduated last year, leaving Johnson as the lead back.
   It was the most points Penn State had scored since Sept. 9, 2000, when the Nittany Lions beat Louisiana Tech 67-7. It also was victory No. 330 for Paterno, extending his record for major college coaches.
   Zack Mills was 14-of-21 for 163 yards and a touchdown for the Nittany Lions.
   Luke McCown was 36-of-56 passes for 406 yards and two TDs for Louisiana Tech (2-2). It was the first time in nine years a quarterback had thrown for more than 400 yards against Penn State. But McCown also threw three interceptions, and his third-quarter miscues allowed the Nittany Lions to run away with the game.
   First, McCown threw an interception to Deryck Toles at the Bulldogs' 33-yard line, setting up Robinson's third touchdown for a 28-17 lead midway through the third quarter. Paul Cronin returned another interception 34 yards for a touchdown, making it 35-17.
   Johnson scored from 4 yards out after a 45-yard punt return by Bryant Johnson, then got his final score after Michael Haynes forced McCown to fumble, then returned the ball to the Bulldogs' 3.
   "I wish we could've held on to the ball and not turned it over,'' Louisiana Tech coach Jack Bicknell said. "That's what it came down to.''
   McCown's 9-yard pass to Ahmad Harris over the middle brought the Bulldogs within four points early in the third quarter.
   Twice in the first half, Louisiana Tech used a long pass to get into scoring position, but both times the Nittany Lions' defense held at the goal line. First it was McCown's 59-yard pass to Chris Norwood, but the Bulldogs were forced to settle for a field goal, pulling to 14-10 with 3:08 left in the first quarter. On the first possession of the second quarter, McCown threw 44 yards to Tramissian Davis on a screen pass, but Josh Scobee's field goal try was wide left.
   Mills' 19-yard touchdown pass to Larry Johnson gave the Nittany Lions a 14-7 lead with 6:02 left in the first quarter.
   McCown completed six consecutive passes, including a 7-yard touchdown throw to D.J. Curry for a 7-7 tie with 8:17 left in the first quarter.
   Robinson's first touchdown came on a deftly executed option play. Mills found a hole and kept the ball past the line of scrimmage, then, just as he was being pulled down, pitched to a wide-open Robinson for an 18-yard run and a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.