Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Drop Big Ten Game at Penn State
10/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct 19, 2002
By DAN LEWERENZ
Associated Press Writer
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Larry Johnson ran for a school-record 257 yards and two touchdowns as No. 20 Penn State beat Northwestern 49-0 Saturday.
Johnson broke the school mark of 256 yards, set by Curt Warner against Syracuse on Oct. 17, 1981.
Johnson had 191 yards in the first half, and was stopped for a 1-yard gain on the first play of the third quarter. Two plays later, Johnson went through the middle of the line and sprinted 60 yards up the left sideline to the Northwestern 5. He ran around the left side on the next play for the rushing record and his second touchdown, giving Penn State (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) a 42-0 lead.
"They did a great job executing and he's (Johnson) a good runner," said Northwestern head coach Randy Walker. "He's an outstanding football player and they got rolling a bit on us. We're a better defense and I think we got on a bit of a negative side and headed in the wrong direction."
Northwestern (2-6, 0-4) got within scoring position only once, reaching the Nittany Lion 17-yard line midway through the first quarter. David Wasielewski came on to attempt a 34-yard field goal, but the kick, which was good, was wiped out by an illegal procedure penalty. Wasielewski's second attempt from 39 yards was wide right.
Even when he didn't have the ball, Johnson was dangerous. After putting the Nittany Lions on the Northwestern 2-yard line late in the second quarter, Johnson dived over the line and into the end zone - drawing the entire Wildcat defense and leaving tight end Mike Lukac wide open on a 2-yard touchdown play-action pass from Zack Mills. That made it 21-0.
Mills had a 1-yard touchdown run and threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Tony Johnson, Larry's younger brother, to make it 35-0 at halftime.
The Wildcats set up their missed field goal after Jeff Backes ran 47 yards on a reverse kickoff return, to the Penn State 46-yard line. That was Northwestern's only offensive or return play that covered 20 or more yards.
Larry Johnson put Penn State up 14-0 with a 3-yard run early in the second quarter. He set up the score with a 27-yard run, first going left, then breaking a tackle and cutting back to the right for the big gain.
Sean McHugh scored his first career touchdown, going in from the 1-yard line to give Penn State a 7-0 lead. Larry Johnson set up the score with a 24-yard run, skipping inside a block, then slipping two tackles before being brought down at the 1.
Northwestern quarterback Tony Stauss, who was starting in place of the injured Brett Basanez, completed a single-game school record 69.0 percent of his passes, 29-of-42 for 193 yards and an interception. Stauss was sacked five times, however.
"Quarterbacks are ultimately judged by putting the ball in the end zone," said Walker. "We didn't make enough plays to get us there. The one thing I did like about Tony was that he kept fighting and battling."
The Wildcats return home next Saturday, facing Purdue (11 a.m. CDT) in their annual homecoming game. Northwestern plays three of its last four contests at Ryan Field.
