Big turnabout for Penn State

Last year, the Nittany Lions were 2-7 at this time not 9-1.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- His players were barely off the field after their convincing win over Wisconsin, when someone reminded Penn State coach Joe Paterno about last year.
The Nittany Lions lost seven of their first nine games in 2004 and were winless in the Big Ten until victories in their final two conference games. Many fans jumped on the "Joe Must Go" bandwagon.
It's been quite a U-turn for the program since then. Now, Penn State (9-1, 6-1) is the surprise leader in the Big Ten and can secure the conference's BCS bid with a victory in its final regular season game, at Michigan State Nov. 19.
"I obviously feel better about this year than I did last year. Somebody said walking in, that 12 months ago we were 0-6 in the Big Ten," Paterno said at a post-game news conference after Penn State downed the Badgers, 35-14, on Saturday.
"I probably had more confidence that we were close than any of you guys did and in fact some of the people in the administration," added Paterno, 78, who is in the middle of a four-year contract that expires in 2008.
Penn State climbs to No. 6
Wisconsin fell five spots to No. 19 in the AP poll Sunday, while the Nittany Lions jumped to No. 6.
Penn State's defense dominated the Badgers for most of the game, especially after being staked to a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter behind quarterback Michael Robinson and bullish tailback Tony Hunt.
"We were beaten by a very good football team today," said Barry Alvarez. "They are very solid on both sides of the ball."
That balance wasn't around for most of last year's 4-7 campaign, when a sputtering offense didn't provide enough support for a strong defense. Paterno had often said his team was close to turning things around and could have won more games then if not for some bad breaks or questionable calls.
He also lamented about a lack of speed and play-making ability on the outside, though that's not a problem anymore.
Against Wisconsin, Hunt finished with two scores and 151 yards, while Robinson connected with freshman Deon Butler on touchdown passes of 43 and 47 yards. The quarterback finished with 125 yards rushing and was 13-of-28 passing for 238 yards and two interceptions.
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