With a third quarter for the ages, Penn State ratified its season and made its BCS case here Saturday.

The Nittany Lions blew open a close game with 28 third-quarter points and rolled past Michigan State, 42-14 before 73,771 at Spartan Stadium.

It means the Nittany Lions retain the massive, hokey Land Grant Trophy that sat in their locker room for them to make fun of last week.

It means much more than that.

Penn State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten Conference) won a 10th game for the second straight year, the first time that's happened since 1993-94. The Lions are undefeated on the road for the first time since 1994.

And Daryll Clark, whose scorching-hot third quarter led the rally, is now Penn State's single-season leader in passing yards (2,787) and touchdown passes (23) and career TD passes (42).

This after a morning in which, watching ESPN, Clark heard analyst Todd McShay call Clark "an interception machine in big games.''

"I get criticized all the time, but I don't play for those people,'' he said.

In the third quarter, Clark was 6-for-6 for 130 yards and three TDs.

The Lions are and certainly now will remain BCS-eligible, which means they could be invited to the Orange, Fiesta or Sugar Bowls.

Michigan State, probably better than its 6-6 record, is probably the best team Penn State has beaten.

The Lions racked up 512 yards of offense, had no turnovers and just 27 yards' worth of penalties, including one horrendous call.

"We're a good football team,'' coach Joe Paterno said after the game. "Are we better than X, Y and Z? I don't know. I think we can play with anybody.''

But the Lions sputtered and spun their wheels for a long while. It was just 7-7 at halftime, and Penn State blew a chance to take the lead in the final seconds of the half when Graham Zug dropped a Clark pass, followed by Clark getting sacked, followed by Collin Wagner missing a 51-yard field goal try (long enough, wide left).

In the locker room at halftime, quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said Zug told him, "My bad. I'll make it up to you.''

Several upperclassmen, linebacker Sean Lee among them, stood up and delivered a simple message:

"We're not losing,'' Lee said.

JoePa said he stayed mostly quiet.

"I told them Friday night, 'We've got to go out and play a 60-minute football game, show people we're a pretty good team' '' he said. "So I just told them, 'Remember what I told you last night.' ''

The second half started with Stephfon Green's 37-yard kickoff return, which means that the Lions got a spark from their special teams and the world did not wobble off its axis.

Then Clark threw a superb strike to wideout Derek Moye for 22 yards plus a roughing the passer penalty.

One play later, Clark quick-pitched to wideout Curtis Drake, an emerging star who played quarterback in high school. Drake lofted a pass to the end zone, where tight end Andrew Quarless made the grab in traffic.

How long have they had that one in their back pocket?

"Three days,'' Paterno said.

"We ran it at least five times every practice this week,'' Clark said.

Michigan State was blitzing a lot, and it bothered Clark in the first half. After halftime Penn State moved the pocket a little, spread the Spartans out and went to work.

Also, there was tailback Evan Royster, doing what he does, bobbing and weaving for 114 yards.

And then there was Clark, rolling left, bringing the defense with him and then firing back across field to fullback Joe Suhey, who danced down the sideline for a 30-yard score.

Now the Spartans were losing their grip.

"I think in all fairness to Michigan State, they made a couple mistakes and boom, boom, we were like that,'' Paterno said.

Penn State's Nick Sukay intercepted a Kirk Cousins pass a few minutes later. And Clark drilled a gorgeous strike to Zug on a deep slant, in the end zone, from 32 yards out.

On Penn State's next possession, it was Clark to Zug again, on a sideline route, and the Manheim Central Baron dove into the end zone.

"I mean, once you have a drop you always have to rebound from it,'' said Zug, who finished with four catches for 99 yards. "You have to make the play.''

Through all this the defense was doing what it always does. The Spartans hit a 71-yard touchdown pass in garbage time against a reserve defense. Otherwise the Lions yielded less than 100 yards rushing (94) and less than 300 total yards.

Navorro Bowman (10 tackles, 4 for a loss) and Lee (seven tackles and an interception) led the way as usual.

The D held the fort and, eventually, the quarterback found his comfort zone. That was about it