Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
As the Big Ten's top two rated teams, Ohio State and Wisconsin, endured stretches of silence in their stadiums Saturday, the roar never stopped in Happy Valley.
Penn State moved the spotlight back on the field Saturday and produced a dazzling performance in a 45-14 rout of Oregon State. Concerns about carryover from the suspensions of three players quickly vanished as quarterback Daryll Clark and running back Evan Royster built a 35-7 halftime lead. A defense missing two starters kept the Beavers out of the end zone for the most part, twice picking off Lyle Moevao. A very focused performance, indeed.
Penn State is for real and both Ohio State and Wisconsin should take notice. The Lions might have the league's most explosive offense, and the schedule sets up fairly favorably for Joe Paterno's team.
Elsewhere:
- Iowa might have found its starting quarterback in sophomore Ricky Stanzi, who threw three touchdowns against Florida International. Junior Jake Christensen also played well in the 42-0 win, but Stanzi showed poise in his first career start.
"I still think pretty much they're playing pretty even, so it's a good thing for us," coach Kirk Ferentz said.
- Michigan still has some issues on offense, particularly at quarterback. Nick Sheridan seemed to outshine Steven Threet against Miami (Ohio), so expect the rotation to continue.
- Wisconsin probably passed the ball more than it wanted, but fifth-year senior Allan Evridge overcame some early struggles. He still needs to be better in the red zone but seemed to find a rhythm with the tight ends.
- Juice Williams showed his best and worst for Illinois, while Michigan State's Javon Ringer and Purdue's Curtis Painter were terrific in easy wins.
Adam Rittenberg joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four years at the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, where he covered sports at Notre Dame, Northwestern, DePaul and several other colleges. He lives in Chicago.
