Down 17-7, PSU scores 39 straight

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Thousands of white pom-poms fluttered and 100,000 Penn State fans broke into a singalong as night fell on Beaver Stadium.

Joe Paterno's greatest nemesis was about to be vanquished by the third-ranked Nittany Lions and the 81-year-old coach had a bird's-eye view of party time in Happy Valley.

Yep, JoePa's getting a really good look at his latest national championship contender.

Behind the running of Evan Royster and a few momentum-shifting plays by the defense and special teams, the Nittany Lions withstood the Wolverines' early flurry and snapped a nine-game losing streak to their Big Ten rivals, 46-17 Saturday.

Michigan led 17-7 early in the second quarter, but Penn State (8-0, 4-0) got its offense rolling and delivered the knockout punch with a safety, a partially blocked punt and a forced fumble on consecutive second-half Michigan (2-5, 1-2) possessions.

Paterno wasn't on the field to enjoy his record 380th victory, relegated to working from the press box for a third consecutive week because of a sore hip and leg.

"My being upstairs - it's funny, I'm not sure that's not the best place for a head coach," he said. "I mean you really get a view of things, I get a better view of football games from up there than I ever do on the sideline."

What he's seeing is a team that should be no worse than third in the BCS standings when it heads to Ohio State next week.

"Am I starting to like it up there? I'll never like it, it doesn't mean that the team might be better off with me up there," Paterno said.

No team had ever won as many in a row against Penn State during Paterno's 43 seasons than Michigan. But if ever there was an opportunity for the Nittany Lions (8-0, 4-0) to break the streak it was now. The Wolverines (2-5, 1-2) have struggled mightily in their first season under coach Rich Rodriguez.