Johnson runs wild on Hoosiers

Penn State senior running back Larry Johnson needed 158 yards Saturday to break the school's single season rushing record. Johnson cruised to 194 yards in the first half alone on his way to setting several records on the day in a 58-25 win over the Hoosiers.\nThe IU defense had no answer for Johnson. He finished the day with 28 carries for 327 yards and four touchdowns. IU only had 275 yards of total offense. The defense has now given up 200 points in their last four games. \nCoach Gerry DiNardo said Johnson is one of the better backs he has ever seen. DiNardo said the defense has been getting manhandled up front.\nPenn State sophomore Zack Mills said the Nittany Lions knew they were going to have to run the ball to be successful. He said it's not all that hard to hand off to Johnson.\n"It's not tough to give him the ball like that," Mills said. "He's having a great home stretch. He deserves all the credit he is getting. He seems to get better as the game goes on."\nBesides setting the single season rushing record, Johnson's 327 yards total were the fifth highest in the 107 years of the Big Ten. Johnson set the Penn State single game record, and he set the record for most yards at Memorial Stadium. Last year Johnson only had 337 yards total for the year.\n"I see him everyday," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "He hasn't stopped surprising me. He's strong. He's gotten to be a good blocker. He obviously is a tough kid. Larry Johnson is just a big, strong kid who loves to run with the football. He loves to play. He's got great speed."\nSenior defensive lineman Kris Dielman compared Johnson to freshman Maurice Clarett from Ohio State and junior Fred Russell from Iowa. Dielman said he is a powerful runner who has good vision.\nHoosier freshman defensive back Damien Jones said Johnson is better than Clarett or Russell because Johnson can gain so many more yards once he gets past the line of scrimmage.\n"When I tried to go catch him, I'm a pretty fast dude, and he's a big guy," Jones said. "So when I went and tried to catch him, and he shot off, I was like 'man.'"\nJohnson had six runs of 20 yards or more, three of those going for 40 or more. IU freshman linebacker John Kerr said the team had trouble making tackles.\n"He's a very good back, but when we didn't break down our assignments we weren't containing him," Kerr said. "He's wasn't really breaking out. He had about four or five runs where he just broke for like 50, 60 yards. So if we could have limited those, he really wouldn't have done that much."\nPSU senior defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy said it was great to see a teammate have such a good game. He said it's great to see him out there running all over people.\nDespite all the praise from teammates, opponents and coaches, Johnson shrugged it off. Johnson gives the credit to his team.\n"I have been blessed to have such a great offensive line," Johnson said. "As long as they keep playing so well, I will do well."\nJohnson also shied away from Heisman Trophy candidate talk. His name has slowly been creeping in the national spotlight. He said he doesn't think he deserves to be up there because he doesn't play for a No. 1 team.\nBut even Paterno, who said he doesn't push for players to win awards, said Johnson deserves some recognition. He said the players need to earn the awards and promote themselves as opposed to schools sending out promotional materials for a player. \nJohnson has averaged 223.4 yards per game in the last five games, giving him a good late season rush for the Heisman. Paterno said Johnson is making a good case for himself.\n"I can't tell you who the best football player in America is," Paterno said. "They've got to consider a runner, and they've got to consider Larry Johnson. The numbers are there. He's coming on strong. He's doing everything you would want a good football player to do. Whether he's going to get it or someone else is going to get it, I don't know. But I think certainly everybody better take a good look at him"