Austin Scott shows what he’s got

His workman-like effort was the backbone of Penn State’s 31-10 win over Notre Dame.

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — For Penn State, if there was a consensus as to what was its biggest question mark going into the season, there probably would have been two answers: “Austin” and “Scott.”

Saturday night, the redshirt senior running back turned those question marks into exclamation points as the Lions muffled Notre Dame, 31-10, in a prime-time game before 110,078 mostly white-wearing fans at Beaver Stadium.

Scott, the all-time leading rusher in Pennsylvania high school history, eased the fears of Lions fans lamenting the loss of the departed Tony Hunt by rushing for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries.

Gives balance

Scott also complemented a ferocious Penn State defense, harkening back to the days when the Lions won games on those elements alone. Grounding and pounding.

Fittingly, the Lions’ 1982 national championship team, which beat Notre Dame on its way to the program’s first crown, was honored at halftime. That Irish team was perhaps only slightly better than this year’s version, which is now 0-2 and heading to Michigan, which is also amazingly 0-2.

The injury riddled, sometimes-maligned Scott came back from a redshirt season as the top tailback. But there were questions about his ability and durability. And since quarterback Anthony Morelli and the entire receiving corps had returned, it was naturally assumed that the Lions would favor the pass.

But Scott was workman-like on Saturday night, gobbling up grass and first downs. His 5-yard touchdown run with 7 minutes, 40 seconds left essentially sealed the outcome, giving No. 14 Penn State (2-0) a 21-point lead.

The difference

Despite the occasional lackluster play, both teams were able to reel off big plays. The difference was the Lions managed a few on offense, while freshman quarterback Jimmy Clausen and the Irish were consistently thwarted by a nasty Penn State defense.

Opting for short screen passes and quick outs, Irish coach Charlie Weis did his best to protect Clausen in his first career start. But almost every time Clausen had to throw downfield, he was met by either the Lions’ front seven or couldn’t find open receivers.

Penn State, meanwhile, took a 24-10 lead in the third quarter essentially off two plays by two true sophomores. First, A.J. Wallace took the second half opening kick 68 yards, setting up a 37-yard Kevin Kelly field goal. And then, Chris Bell’s 51-yard reception highlighted a 7-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a 1-yard Scott touchdown.