Below The Beltway

In the end, there really weren’t any surprising in Evanston yesterday:

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — With Northwestern’s defense coming at him on a third-and-16 and his receivers bottled up, Terrelle Pryor calmly stayed in the pocket, waiting, waiting and waiting for what seemed like minutes before finally letting fly for a 44-yard pass.

If anyone wondered how the freshman would rebound from the gutwrenching loss to Penn State, that play on Ohio State’s first possession was quite an answer.

The freshman phenom showed the savvy of a veteran Saturday, throwing for three touchdowns and turning several jams into big plays as No. 12 Ohio State routed Northwestern 45-10. He got some help from Chris ”Beanie” Wells, who broke free for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

”I felt real comfortable today,” said Pryor, who was 9-of-14 for 197 yards. ”I have a lot more I want to accomplish and get better at. Keep progressing. Keep progressing.”

It was Ohio State’s fourth victory in a row over Northwestern, and it delighted the sellout crowd that appeared to be two-thirds Buckeyes fans.

More importantly, the win keeps the Buckeyes’ chances for a fourth straight Big Ten title alive. Ohio State (8-2, 5-1) needs to win out and get some help from Penn State and Michigan State, who play each other in the season finale.

And some of that help came last night in the form of a last-second Iowa win over Penn State:

IOWA CITY (AP) — Penn State is perfect no more, its hopes for giving Coach Joe Paterno another national title given a sharp and surprising kick by Iowa. Daniel Murray, who had not made a field goal since the season opener, hit a 31-yarder with a second left, and the Hawkeyes rallied to stun the third-ranked Nittany Lions, 24-23.

All that talk about an unbeaten Penn State possibly being left out of the Bowl Championship Series national title game turned out to be premature. A third championship for the 81-year-old Paterno, who has had four unbeaten teams not win titles, is a long shot now.

Shonn Green rushed for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Ricky Stanzi bounced back from an interception and a fumble to lead the Hawkeyes (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) on their winning drive, which came after Daryll Clark threw his third interception of the season.

Murray had lost the regular field-goal duties to the freshman Trent Mossbrucker and was relegated to kickoffs. But with the winds swirling and strong, Coach Kirk Ferentz opted for experience and Murray’s strong leg.

He drilled it down the middle, sending Iowa’s freezing fans spilling onto the field.

“I’ve always dreamed about it,” said Murray, who grew up here. “I kept hoping and hoping I’d get my chance.”

The Nittany Lions (9-1, 5-1) were third behind Alabama and Texas Tech in the latest B.C.S. standings. They will drop Sunday. The Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth are the Nittany Lions’ main goals now.

Disappointing. It would have been nice to see Penn State in one more champsionship game before what may very well be Paterno’s last season ends.