"I think we're feeling good," guard John Urschel said.
Of course, it's not going to be a week of celebrating for the Lions. There's too much to correct from Saturday's game before they go to Illinois.
With Matt McGloin passing for a career-high 318 yards, Penn State established a season high with 491 yards of total offense. But nine penalties hurt the offense's momentum. Four plays called back by penalties had gained a total of 71 yards.
O'Brien, whose team had been assessed a total of 11 penalties in its first three games, called the increased number "maybe a lack of concentration."
"I felt we had a productive day but we left a lot of points off the board," he said. "We've got to clean that up. When we have a chance to score inside the 10-yard line, we've got to do a better job down there."
The Lions also need more from punter Alex Butterworth, who had some decent punts but shanked a 15-yarder. Kicker Sam Ficken converted a 21-yard field goal, his first attempt since his dreadful 1-for-5 showing at Virginia two weeks earlier, but he must up his game with the conference season starting.
To say the least, the Big Ten is intriguing. If the play of the conference's 12 teams over the previous four weeks is any indication, it's going to be one wide-open league.
After five Big Ten teams found spots in the Associated Press preseason poll, only three - No. 14 Ohio State, No. 20 Michigan State, and No. 22 Nebraska - remained there as of Sunday, the lowest total for a week thus far.
For a while Saturday, it appeared as if Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin could have been upset victims. Iowa was shocked at home, 32-31, by Central Michigan. And Illinois coughed up six turnovers in a 52-24 home loss to Louisiana Tech.
So considering contenders for the Leaders Division title, why not Penn State? The Lions are not eligible for the Big Ten championship game because of NCAA sanctions, but they are eligible to win the division title.
"Being on a winning streak going into the Big Ten is big," defensive tackle Jordan Hill said. "You know the Big Ten is up for grabs and we can still win the Leaders Division."
Contact Joe Juliano at 215-854-4494 or jjuliano@phillynews.com. Follow @joejulesinq on Twitter.
