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JoePa, Penn State eyeing 6-0 start vs. Purdue

Oct 4, 2008 - 10:08 AM (6) Penn State (5-0) at Purdue (2-2), 12:00 pm EDT

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (Ticker) -- Joe Paterno and Penn State have enjoyed a great start to the 2008 season, but a grueling stretch awaits this month.

The first stop for the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions will be Big Ten Conference rival Purdue on Saturday.

After visiting Boilermakers, Penn State (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) visits 17th-ranked Wisconsin, hosts Michigan and visits No. 12 Ohio State in consecutive weeks.

Wide receiver Derrick Williams scored touchdowns three different ways as Penn State rolled to a 38-24 victory over then-No. 21 Illinois last Saturday.

Williams became the first player in the Paterno era to score a rushing, receiving and return touchdown in the same game.

Williams caught a 22-yard scoring pass from Daryll Clark in the first quarter, ran for a 5-yard touchdown in the second and returned a kickoff 94 yards for a TD in the fourth. The 6-foot, 194-pound senior accounted for 241 yards of total offense.

"Penn State is known for its defense, and now we're on top with the offense, too," Williams said. "Now it's just a balanced team, so we should be great either way."

Balance is right. The Nittany Lions have outscored their opponents by a 249-64 margin this season and are looking for their second 6-0 start in four years. Penn State got off to a 7-0 start in 2005 en route to an 11-1 record.

Purdue has not been as fortunate this year, losing to Oregon in overtime on September 13 and Notre Dame last week.

Kory Sheets rushed for 87 yards and was held to one score as the Boilermakers (2-2, 0-0) suffered a 38-21 loss to the Fighting Irish last Saturday. Sheets had two touchdowns in each of the first three games of the campaign.

Sheets has rushed for 487 yards and seven scores this season, while hauling in 16 receptions for 114 yards.