They might not be there yet, but the Lions made the claim that they deserved to be in the conversation. And it was Williams, the wide receiver and returner, who propelled Penn State past pesky Illinois, 38-24, last night before a sea of Beaver Stadium white.

The senior captain had 241 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns, including a 94-yard kickoff return that swung the game's balance in favor of the No. 12 Lions.

"I told [Williams] the other day, 'It's about time you break out and have a real big one,' " Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "And he had a big day."

Penn State (5-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten conference) also received stellar performances from running back Evan Royster, who went over 100 yards for the third time this season, and quarterback Daryll Clark.

Even after No. 22 Illinois (2-2, 0-1) answered Williams' early fourth-quarter return with Arrelious Benn's 54-yard touchdown reception, a poised Clark marched the Lions 77 yards. He hooked up with Andrew Quarless for a 17-yard score, giving Penn State a 38-24 margin.

The Lions could move up as high as No. 6 or 7 in the rankings after a weekend of upsets, including Oregon State's upset of No. 1 Southern Cal on Thursday. Penn State trounced the Beavers, 45-14, in Week 2. (Georgia, Florida and Wisconsin also lost.)

"I try to be humble, but we are focused on that," Williams said of Penn State's national-title aspirations. "If we're not, then we shouldn't be playing this game."

Just when it seemed that the ebb and flow of the game had shifted back to Illinois, Williams grabbed the momentum back for Penn State. After Illinois trimmed Penn State's lead to 24-17, the senior captain took the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. Buoyed by blocks from Quarless and Brandon Beachum, Williams found a crease and was gone.

Illinois, though, rebounded almost immediately when quarterback Juice Williams found Benn wide open for a 54-yard catch-and-run touchdown to cut Penn State's lead to 31-24.

To open the second half, the Lions went to Royster, who was not used much in the first half. The trusty running back broke off tackle for 37 yards, moving Penn State down to the Illinois 9. But the Lions failed to punch it in and had to settle for Kevin Kelly's 25-yard field goal and a 24-14 cushion.

After a few missed opportunities before the half to pad their lead, the Lions had to feel as if they had blown another chance.

But the Illini left points off the board, too. After running the ball play after play on a clock-draining drive that got the Illini as far as the Penn State 14, kicker Anthony Santella was wide right on a 33-yard field-goal attempt.

He struck gold on his next try, though, a 43-yarder to narrow the Illini's deficit to 24-17. The three points came courtesy of a Stephfon Green fumble on Penn State's own 28.

The knock against Penn State was that it had yet to face adversity in its first four games. It took all of one quarter for the Lions to encounter their first sweating-palms moments.

First, Illinois scored on its first possession, as a quick drive netted a 2-yard over-the-top touchdown from running back Jason Ford. Those were the first points the Nittany Lions had allowed in the first quarter all season, and it was the first time they trailed.

But Penn State bounced right back. Clark drove the Lions 73 yards and scored on a 1-yard dive to even the game, 7-7. The big play of the possession came when Clark hit wide receiver Graham Zug, who was filling in for an injured Jordan Norwood, across the middle for 8 yards on a third and 3.

The Illini scored again - on a Williams-to-Benn 33-yard strike - to take a 14-7 lead. But the Lions responded. This time, Clark guided the offense 81 yards and floated a deft 21-yard pass to Williams for a touchdown to knot the score.

Penn State finally went ahead, 21-14, early in the second quarter when Williams took a handoff and danced 5 yards into the end zone for his second tally.

The first-half tide hinged on several close calls. Benn was initially ruled out of bounds on his touchdown, but a review reversed the call on the field. And the Lions benefited from the next two controversial decisions.

First, a review overturned a Clark fumble deep in Penn State territory when he was ruled down. Then an Illinois punt that looked as if it bounced off Knowledge Timmons into the hands of the Illini was ruled dead when it appeared to touch an Illini player first.

Notable. Suspended defensive linemen Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma returned to Penn State's lineup.