STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Not this time. Not even close.

Michigan's string of nine straight wins over Penn State was stopped cold yesterday in a resounding defeat, 46-17.

The third-ranked Nittany Lions set up Saturday's key showdown with Ohio State by burying the Wolverines 32-0 in the second half. In UM's last three games - all losses - the Wolverines have been outscored 66-6 after halftime.

Not exactly the way it wants to be playing entering an upcoming date with rival Michigan State.

"We executed for a while, then we didn't. That's what happened," Wolverines coach Rich Rodriguez said of his team's latest meltdown.

UM (2-5, 1-2 Big Ten) held a 17-7 advantage when Penn State took over possession with 2:01 left in the second quarter. Nine plays and 74 yards later, Nittany Lions quarterback Daryll Clark threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Norwood with 23 seconds to go.

That was just the beginning.

Penn State (8-0, 4-0) tied the game on its first drive of the third quarter on Kevin Kelly's 42-yard field goal. Wolverines quarterback Steven Threet didn't return for UM's next series because of a bad elbow, and things really went south.

Pinned deep in his own territory, Threet's replacement, Nick Sheridan, took a safety on third down. Actually, he tried to avoid taking a safety by completing a pass to left tackle Mark Ortmann, an illegal play that was ruled a safety for Penn State's Jared Odrick.

A bad free kick set up the Nittany Lions at the 50, and Clark scored on a one-yard run four plays later.

Threet fumbled on his first and only series back on the field to start the fourth quarter, setting up another Clark touchdown run.

Putting an exclamation point on a decade of frustration, Penn State backup quarterback Pat Devlin threw a short screen to Stephon Green that turned into an 80-yard score.

"It was going to end one day," UM defensive end Brandon Graham said of the Wolverines' dominance over the Lions. "I don't know, this is a tough loss."

It took a while before Penn State and the 110,017 fans at Beaver Stadium swallowed UM whole.

Getting a surprising start at tailback, Brandon Minor sparked the Wolverines with 117 yards and two touchdowns, including 42 yards and a five-yard scoring run on UM's first series. Threet was on fire early, too, completing six of his first seven passes for 75 yards and gaining another 31 yards on eight carries.

But Minor's one-yard touchdown run and the ensuing extra point with 13:13 left in the second quarter stood as the Wolverines' final points. Threet finished 9-of-13 with 84 yards, and Sheridan went 3-for-9 for five yards in relief.

UM had just 81 yards in the second half, 36 coming on a

garbage-time run by Sam

McGuffie.

In the meantime, Penn State's offense was clicking and Beaver Stadium literally shook for much of the second half.

"They're really good. They're well coached," Rodriguez said. "They've got an outstanding program. Joe [Paterno] has had 43 years to build his program, he's done a darn good job. I've had nine months."

Penn State running back Evan Royster burned UM for 174 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries, and Clark contributed 171 yards passing, 45 rushing and three scores.

With such drastic issues on

offense, UM has prepared a package in which freshman Justin Feagin would play quarterback. Rodriguez nearly put him in when Threet left with his recurring bruised elbow, but decided against it because of the hostile environment.

The Wolverines are hoping for - no, counting on - a better day Saturday against the Spartans, who they have beaten six straight times.

"I don't think we're going to ever lose to [Michigan] State," Graham said. "I'm feeling like we're not going to lose to State. We're going to work hard, we're going to win."

Contact Joe Vardon at:

jvardon@theblade.com

or 419-410-5055.