Was that blue and white smudge on the Buckeyes’ shoes a Nittany Lion or a Nittany Lion dressed in sheep’s clothing?That’s the question fans were asking each other Saturday as they left Ohio Stadium after Ohio State battered the hapless Lions to the tune of 38-7.The win vaulted the Buckeyes to No. 2 in the USA Today/CNN coaches’ and Associated Press polls. It was the worst loss by a Penn State team since they lost to Notre Dame 44-7 in 1984, but Lion coach Joe Paterno said Ohio State’s dominance had more to do with the lopsided score than his team’s ineffectiveness.”We got crushed,” Paterno said. “This is the best team we’ve played in quite a while. They beat us so bad I can’t even second-guess myself.”The Buckeye scoring express took control early in the first quarter when quarterback Stanley Jackson hit a wide-open Dimitrious Stanley for a 42-yard touchdown.”I think it was some kind of busted coverage,” Jackson said. “I dropped back and I saw him wide-open and I was just hoping that I didn’t overthrow the guy.”On the next possession a short Penn State drive was stalled by the Buckeye defense. After the punt the Buckeyes drove 49 yards to the Lions’ 13-yard line before settling for a 30-yard field goal that gave OSU a 10-0 lead heading into the second quarter. “Offensively, I think we executed the game plan and got control of the game early,” said OSU coach John Cooper.The Buckeyes’ first possession of the second quarter turned out to be one of their most efficient ones. The Buckeyes used 14 plays to march 80 yards for a 17-0 Buckeye lead.The key play was Matt Keller’s spectacular touchdown reception from Jackson. On second-and-10 from the Lions’ 24, Keller took the pass over the middle, broke two tackles and outran the rest of the Penn State defense for the score. The Keller touchdown was a shining example of the pass protection the OSU quarterbacks had throughout the game.”The protection is excellent,” Jackson said. “I can’t say enough about the offensive line. They are by far the best offensive line I’ve seen in college football. I don’t think I got touched but one time today.” The Buckeyes needed only two plays to score on their next possession. Joe Germaine replaced Jackson at quarterback and promptly threw a 34-yard touchdown strike to Stanley. The extra point gave OSU a commanding 24-0 lead at halftime. Defensively, the Buckeyes totally controlled the first half. They held Penn State to 71 total yards, five first downs and forced them to punt seven times. The closest the Nittany Lions came to Ohio State territory was their own 46-yard line.”We’re all playing great right now,” said freshman middle linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer. “We’re all playing solid football and it’s exciting.”The second half held more of the same punishment for the Lions, but they did manage to advance to the Buckeyes’ 30-yard line on their first drive. However, the Lions failed to convert when Brett Conway’s 47-yard field goal attempt bounced off the goal post.After the two teams exchanged punts, Pepe Pearson’s 1-yard dive for a touchdown highlighted a 10-play, 72-yard drive and gave OSU a 31-0 lead.Pearson, a junior tailback from Euclid, had 141 yards on 28 carries on his way to his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game and the 16th consecutive game in which a Buckeye running back has gained 100 yards or more.