Does it get any more dramatic than that?

After falling behind 21-0 in the 2nd quarter, head coach Joe Paterno rallied his troops to post 35 unanswered points in the last 30 minutes and 4 seconds of the game. Then his players hoisted him high above the Beaver Stadium field to celebrate the legend’s 400th career victory as time expired.

“They had me up there before I knew it,” said Paterno after being lifted off ground. “I would be lying if I said it didn’t move me.”

It was a slow start for the Nittany Lions, to say the least. Two 1st quarter rushing touchdowns by Dan Persa and a touchdown pass to Drake Dunsmore put Northwestern up 21-0 before Penn State scored a touchdown at the end of the first half to bring the score to 21-7.

Penn State’s leading rusher Evan Royster and true freshman Silas Redd carried the offense as they both notched 100-yard games and combined for 265 yards on the ground.

Overshadowed by Paterno’s milestone and the Royster-Redd combination was redshirt sophomore quarterback Matt McGloin, who led his squad with 225 passing yards and four touchdowns. Starting quarterback Rob Bolden was pulled from the game after two failed drives.

McGloin took over from there leading his squad with 225 passing yards and four touchdowns.

Trailing 21-0, McGloin led the offense on a 9-play, 91-yard touchdown drive with less than a minute remaining in the half. McGloin nailed an open Brett Brackett in the back of the endzone for a tippy-toe touchdown.

After multiple halftime adjustments and a top-secret halftime speech, the Lions came out of the locker room with a brand new fire. The fire quickly turned into a near 6-minute touchdown drive ending with a three-yard pass to Nate Cadogan.

The Penn State defense, lead by standout Michael Mauti and leading-tackler Chris Colasanti, forced a three-and-out on the Wildcats’ next drive. Then McGloin took over again, leading a three-play drive that ended with a 36-yard touch-pass touchdown to wide receiver Derek Moye to tie the game at 21.

With 1:31 left in the 3rd quarter, Redd scored his first touchdown of his brief career to give Penn State their first lead of the day.

To seal the deal, McGloin found Royster on a 13-yard screen pass that lead to the final touchdown of the game. Penn State wins 35-21.

In case you missed it, here’s the video they played after the game, commemorating Paterno’s 400 career wins.