But for now, Penn State (6-3, 4-1 Big Ten) enjoys life on the road. Coach Bill O'Brien said it has to do with the team's attitude.
"When we go on the road, it's just us, and there's something to be said for that," O'Brien said after Saturday's win. "It's our team. It's our staff. It's the doctors, the trainers, the sports information people. It's just the core people.
"So it is somewhat of a good feeling when it's just you in that hotel room and in meetings, and then you come here and nobody is really for you, although we had a pretty good crowd here from Penn State. These kids came out and played hard, and I think they like that mentality."
Cornerback Stephon Morris said there is no better feeling for the defense than to take the field in front of a noisy, hostile crowd and shut down the home team.
"We like quieting the crowd," he said. "They can be loud when the offense is on the field, but on defense we want to make sure we get three-and-outs, get turnovers, eliminate big plays."
The opponents have helped. Penn State's three road foes - Illinois, Iowa, and Purdue - have combined to go 2-13 in the conference and 9-18 overall. The Hawkeyes own both of those Big Ten wins.
The Lions averages in those games are 35.7 points and 464.7 yards of total offense, and 10.0 points and 316.7 yards allowed on defense. They established season highs Saturday for yards per rush (4.9) and per completion (14.6), and quarterback Matt McGloin set a career best with 339 yards of total offense (321 pass, 18 rush).
For the season, McGloin leads the Big Ten in passing yards and completions and is tied for first with 18 touchdown passes.
One of the defensive stars for Penn State was redshirt freshman end Deion Barnes, a former Northeast High star who forced his third fumble of the season to tie for the Big Ten lead. The turnover set up the team's first points on Sam Ficken's 27-yard field goal.
"I think we prepared very well," Barnes said. "We were reading certain plays and sniffing them out. I think our coaches did a great job with the game plan."
It gets tougher this weekend.
Nebraska (7-2, 4-1), ranked 18th in the latest AP poll, is tied for first in the Legends Division but holds the tiebreaker over coleader Michigan. The Cornhuskers defeated Michigan State, 28-24, on Saturday, scoring the winning touchdown with six seconds left following a disputed pass-interference call against the host Spartans.
The Cornhuskers are 5-0 this season in Lincoln, where they have won 14 of their last 15. They are 27-6 at home under fifth-year head coach Bo Pelini. And quarterback Taylor Martinez, who rushed for 205 yards in 17 carries on Saturday, is at his best in front of the home folks.
The Nittany Lions will await the results of an MRI scheduled to be performed on the left knee of defensive tackle Jordan Hill, who suffered the injury in the second quarter. A spokesman said after the game that Hill did not appear to damage his anterior cruciate ligament.
Contact Joe Juliano at jjuliano@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @joejulesinq.
