EVANSTON, Ill. --- Penn State trailed yesterday at halftime for the first time all season.

But the Nittany Lions finally got their act together in the second half, exploding for 24 unanswered points to beat pesky Northwestern, 34-13, yesterday at Ryan Field.

No. 12 Penn State (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten) broke open a tight game with three touchdowns in a span of three minutes, 40 seconds.

Tailback Evan Royster scored on a career-long 69-yard run, wide receiver Derek Moye caught a career-long 53-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Daryll Clark and fullback-turned-tailback Brandon Beachum scored his first touchdown of the season on a 2-yard run.

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