You name it - offense, defense and special teams - the Lions showed that they could dominate in those areas, and that they might have the steadiness to run the table. Penn State has a 7-0 overall record and 3-0 mark in the Big Ten, so it might be time to start considering the Lions as the best team in the nation.

As far back as last December, Lions coach Joe Paterno said that he thought this year's team could be a national title contender.

"Did I make that kind of stupid statement?" Paterno said last night. "I must have been drinking that day. We certainly deserve to be considered right now, but we have some tough games to play."

There are still many variables that could disrupt this notion. They've got five more games, one of them a date at Ohio State in two weeks. And it could be said that Wisconsin (3-3, 0-3), after consecutive losses to Michigan and the Buckeyes, was ripe and reeling. But to go into one of the toughest environments and hand a team its worst home loss in 19 years is indeed the mark of a champion.

Penn State entered the game ranked No. 6 in the country, but is in position to move up in the polls after top-ranked Oklahoma lost to No. 5 Texas, No. 3 Missouri was upset by Oklahoma State, and No. 4 LSU fell to Florida.

Paterno, meanwhile, spent his second straight game coaching from a box to rest his injured right leg. But to paraphrase a statement from Temple coach Al Golden a few weeks ago, with this team the 81-year-old Paterno could coach from his living room.

Paterno has been getting around with the aid of a cane, and walked into his postgame interview using it.

"My wife [Sue] has been trying to get me to use it because she had been on a cane for a couple of weeks," Paterno said. "I said, 'Cane, cane, cane.' My leg is still not right. I found out using the cane I could go a little longer."

If the Penn State offense and quarterback Daryll Clark were rusty in the first half, they were shining like the moon on a clear night in the second half.

Clark finished the night having completed 16 of 25 passes for 244 yards.

On each of their first three possessions of the second half, the Lions needed just seven plays to march down the field and score.

Clark threw for 174 yards on 10 of 14 passing during that stretch. The first drive, a 76-yarder, ended with a Clark 4-yard keeper. The second, an 82-yarder, ended with Clark's 43-yard touchdown pass to Deon Butler. And the third, after cornerback Lydell Sargeant intercepted a loudly booed Allan Evridge, resulted in a 30-yard field goal by Kevin Kelly.

And just like that, Penn State was ahead, 41-7, and the normally never-say-die Wisconsin fans headed for the exits.

Penn State led by 3-0 on Kelly's 50-yard field goal after a old-fashioned, smash-mouth, low-scoring first quarter. The second quarter had a more modern 28 points.

The Lions struck first and then second in a matter of seconds. After the defense provided good field position, Clark guided the Lions 49 yards down to the Wisconsin 2. Evan Royster then scored on an option pitch for a 10-0 lead.

After the defense forced the Badgers into three incomplete passes, Derrick Williams zoomed 63 yards with a punt return for the touchdown, just 35 seconds after the previous score. And just like that, Wisconsin trailed, 17-0, and Camp Randall Stadium went "Oomph."

Still, the Badgers moved 85 yards on 10 plays on the ensuing drive, with Evridge scoring on a 5-yard run.

But the Penn State defense continued to dominate and forced more problems for Wisconsin.

Evridge was flushed from the pocket and gobbled up by Aaron Maybin, who chopped the ball out of his hands. It rolled right into the mitts of linebacker Josh Hull, and the Lions were gift-wrapped seven points when Clark scored two plays later on 2-yard keeper. That gave Penn State a 24-7 halftime lead.

or jmclane@phillynews.com.