Nittany Lions stop Bryant, Purdue 12-0

The conference's leading receiver was held to 5 yards.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Penn State knew that stopping Dorien Bryant would equal stopping Purdue.
The Nittany Lions held the Big Ten's leader in receptions to 5 yards on five catches in a 12-0 win Saturday. It was the junior's lowest offensive output since the first game of his freshman year.
"We always knew where he was at on the field," said Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny. "We were always looking at him because we thought the ball was going to go to him the majority of the time. He's a great receiver, so we had a lot of concentration on him."
Purdue (5-4, 2-3 Big Ten) hadn't been shut out since Sept. 14, 1996 against Notre Dame. The run of 127 games without being shut out was the third-longest in the nation.
The Boilermakers, who entered the game with the nation's eighth-ranked offense, were held to 261 yards. Purdue hasn't scored for seven quarters.
Penn State's last shutout came on Oct. 19, 2002 against Northwestern.
"This was huge for us defensively, especially against a team like Purdue. This was a big step for us," Posluszny said.
"We knew they were going to throw those short passes, quick outs and stuff like that. As long as we tackled well and held them short of the sticks, it would be all right."
Hunt rushed for 142 yards
Tony Hunt ran for 142 yards and scored the game's only touchdown, in the fourth quarter. The senior helped the Nittany Lions respond to coach Joe Paterno's criticism after they gained just 40 yards rushing the previous week against Illinois. Penn State (6-3, 4-2) held the ball for 35 minutes and finished with 422 total yards.
"I think we was getting tired of hearing, blah blah blah, running game, offensive line this, so we went off this week and it was probably the toughest and best week of practice we had all season," Hunt said. "It was really the toughest week and best week I think the offensive line has had since I've been here."
Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter completed 21-of-38 passes for 199 yards with two interceptions. He was disappointed in the offensive effort.
"A loss is a loss, but definitely when your defense can hold them to 12 points, you hope your offense can at least score that many. Just knowing that we got shut out today, that probably makes it a little tougher."
The Boilermakers allowed three sacks, all in the second half. Purdue's offensive line had allowed only eight sacks all season.
The Nittany Lions were glad to get the win but feel they need to be sharper next weekend at Wisconsin.
"We didn't score as many points as I think we should have," Hunt said. "We had penalties in the red zone, things like that. So there's more things we've got to work on this week."
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