BIG TEN Wildcats top Penn State on lucky bounce, 17-7

A pass was batted into the hands of Northwestern's Brandon Horn for a go-ahead TD.
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) -- The pass was short, the defense was in perfect position -- yet somehow receiver Brandon Horn ended up with the ball and a game-winning touchdown for Northwestern.
Brett Basanez's 41-yard touchdown pass to Horn in the fourth quarter gave Northwestern a 17-7 win over Penn State on Saturday, handing the Nittany Lions their sixth loss in a row. Penn State (2-8, 0-6 Big Ten) hadn't lost six straight since 1931.
"You let people hang around and they're going to beat you," said Penn State coach Joe Paterno, whose team missed two field goals in the first half but still led 7-0 in the final quarter. "I've got to do a better job."
With the game tied at 7, Basanez dropped back and threw a deep pass over the middle -- a yard or 2 short of his receiver.
Into Horn's hands
Yaacov Yisrael had a play on the ball and nearly intercepted it when teammate Rich Gardner leaped up and knocked it out of his grasp. The ball bounced up in the air and into the hands of Horn -- the only way the Wildcats receiver could have caught the ball.
"I saw him jump up. I saw him miss-time it and tip it up," Horn said. "It landed in the right spot and it ended up being a touchdown."
Yisrael thought it was an interception. "He threw it up and I was in position. We were both going for the ball and unfortunately it got knocked out of my hands," he said. "The ball just flew up in the air."
It was the second of two bizarre plays that helped Northwestern (5-5, 3-3) take over the game in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats trailed 7-0 and faced fourth-and-7 at the 19 when they ran a trick play similar to the one that helped them beat Wisconsin two weeks ago. Northwestern brought its field goal unit onto the field, with holder Eric Batis running under center and taking the snap. He faked a hand-off and sprinted around the left end for a first down. Jason Wright then ran it in from 6 yards.
"I've carried that doggone play for 10 years at least," Northwestern coach Randy Walker said. "It finally made its debut. It's all illusion. It's magic, it's sleight of hand. "
Noah Herron had 180 yards rushing on 35 carries for the Wildcats, who added a late 27-yard field goal by Brian Huffman.
For Paterno, it was the latest disappointment in a gut-wrenching season that seems to get worse every week.
"This will be the toughest one we've had to get them back to thinking about winning," Paterno said.
Penn State falters
Penn State was in control most of the game before falling apart late -- just as it did last week in a loss to Ohio State when the Nittany Lions gave up the go-ahead touchdown with 1:35 remaining.
Against Northwestern, the collapse came nearly as late.
Penn State led 7-0 and came up with a huge stop early in the third quarter, stuffing Northwestern on fourth down from the 1 when freshman linebacker Paul Posluszny fought off a blocker and wrapped up Herron short of the end zone.
The Wildcats got the ball back at their own 30 and reeled four straight first downs -- only to have Herron fumble at the Penn State 9 after tripping over a teammate.
Northwestern finally broke through with 6:49 remaining in the game, scoring all of its points in the fourth quarter on a Penn State defense that appeared to tire. The Nittany Lions failed to gain a first down in its first four possessions of the quarter.
Special teams fail
Penn State also hurt itself on special teams.
Playing in a light snow, Penn State missed field goal attempts of 27 and 34 yards in the first half.
"Obviously that's not going to give you a good feeling about the game when you get in the red zone twice and can't get a field goal," kicker David Kimball said. "The fans deserve better, the coaches deserve better and these younger guys deserve better."
The Nittany Lions took the lead on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Zack Mills in the first half. Northwestern had Penn State stopped at the 8, but the Wildcats were called for pass interference in the end zone on third down to give Penn State another chance at the 2.
Mills dove over the top two plays later for the TD -- although replays showed the ball was well short of crossing the goal line.
Robinson delivers
Michael Robinson, who didn't play last week against Ohio State, made several key plays during the Penn State scoring drive. He had a catch for 12 yards and a first down, rushed for a 7-yard gain and then caught a 15-yard pass to get Penn State to the 8.
Sean McHugh led Penn State with 79 yards rushing on 10 carries.
Penn State lost one of its top defenders early in the game. Senior linebacker Gino Capone, tied for first in the Big Ten in tackles, was helped off the field in the first quarter with a right leg injury. He didn't return.
Penn State is off to its worst start since 1931 and has assured itself of just the fourth losing season in the Paterno era.
"A lot of things haven't been going our way," Gardner said.