Offensive adjustments. They seemed to be a foreign concept to the Nittany Lions in the last two seasons.

After three straight non-conference wins, Penn State had shown the ability to adjust when the game plan wasn't working. Those adjustments had usually involved QB Michael Robinson throwing the deep ball to speedy freshmen like Deon Butler and Derrick Williams.

The Nittany Lions once again showed the ability to adjust. After falling behind 23-7 late in the first half, Joe Paterno and offensive coordinator Galen Hall turned to the deep pass to get back in the game. The Nittany Lions did just that when Robinson hit Butler with a 26-yard TD pass with less than 30 seconds to go in the first half.

Then with the game on the line in the fourth quarter, Robinson reared back and hit Williams with 36-yard scoring pass. On both plays, the speed of the two freshmen allowed them to get behind the Northwestern defensive backs.

That was enough to give Penn State the 34-29 road win. Williams ran a deep fade to get wide open while Robinson hung in the pocket and made a first-rate throw. Williams grabbed the pass just inside the 10 and waltzed into the end zone.

"Mike just stood in there and gave me a great throw," Williams said.

LB Paul Posluszny, who had a monster game with 22 tackles, put the game in perspective. This game for us was huge," Posluszny said, "because we haven't really won on the road at all the last couple of years. What this really shows, when a game comes down to the wire, we now know we can win. We now have that confidence.

"It's like a huge weight is off of our shoulders."

Penn State will get tested by Minnesota and their outstanding ground game this week.

GAME BALL GOES TO: LB Paul Posluszny -- He had a memorable game with 22 tackles -- including 14 solo stops. That was the most tackles in a game by a Penn State player since Ron Crosby had 22 in 1974 vs. Ohio.

KEEP AN EYE ON: DB Anwar Phillips -- He had four tackles and came up with the interception of the Brett Basanez pass late in the fourth quarter that clinched the win for the Lions. Basanez was throwing to Mark Philmore, who slipped down on the play. Phillips remained alert and made the pick.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "You think about all of the offseason work and everything you've put in to get to this point. All offseason, all you talk about is being strong in the fourth quarter, being strong in the fourth quarter. And this is where we really got to put that into effect." -- LB Paul Posluszny on what the come-from-behind road win over Northwestern means to the team.

LOOKING GOOD: The Penn State offense made big plays after falling behind in the first half. In the past, the Nittany Lions would have been unable to challenge after trailing by more than two touchdowns. Now that Michael Robinson is getting comfortable in the pocket and he has speed receivers in Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and Justin King, the Nittany Lions are more than capable of registering come-from-behind wins.

-- Michael Robinson threw for 271 yards and three TDs in the win over Northwestern. After an awful start that saw him throw three first-half interceptions, Robinson held his poise and led the comeback win.

-- WR Derrick Williams leads a core of talented freshmen receivers for the Nittany Lions. Williams caught the game-winning TD pass from Robinson with 51 seconds remaining.

STILL NEEDS SOME WORK: The Nittany Lions played well defensively in the second half, giving up just two field goals. However, this team struggled in the first half with Northwestern RB Tyrell Sutton and QB Brett Basanez. If they had a difficult time against the Northwestern duo, how will they do with Minnesota's Laurence Maroney and Bryan Cupito this week?

The Nittany Lions had four turnovers and they need to improve in that area when they face Minnesota, Ohio State and Michigan the next three games.

-- CB Alan Zemaitis is supposed to be one of the top defensive backs in the country, but he did not have an impact against Northwestern. He had four tackles and was not credited with a pass defensed or an interception.

-- The Nittany Lions can't sustain their possessions. Northwestern held the ball for 39:59, meaning Penn State had the ball for just 20:11.

ROSTER REPORT: Senior center E.Z. Smith and sophomore linebacker Dan Connor played for the first time this year. Smith, a starter last season, replaced Lance Antolick at the beginning of the second quarter and played the remainder of the game. Connor saw the field at the end of the first quarter. From that point on, he split time with Tyrell Sales.