The double thump of foot hitting ball and then ball hitting hand. A perfect bounce. A race for the end zone barely won.A blocked field goal in the fourth quarter against Ohio State changed Penn States season. The Nittany Lions have not lost since and Happy Valley is happier than its been with its football team in the five years since a scandal shook the program and the school.Winning might not cure everything, but it certainly makes it easier to shift the focus away from lawsuits , statues and how best to commemorate anniversaries . For the first time in the post-Paterno, post-scandal era, the Nittany Lions are championship contenders. No. 8 Penn State (10-2, No. 7 CFP) makes its first appearance in the Big Ten championship game Saturday.The communitys been through a lot. This is a place where the football program really has always been stable, junior linebacker Jason Cabinda said this week. It was tough for the community to see us kind of fall off a bit. To finally see us kind of arrive again, I think its been huge.At the very least the game against No. 6 Wisconsin (10-2, No. 6 CFP) in Indianapolis will determine which team goes to the Rose Bowl. Penn State has not won the Big Ten or played in the Rose Bowl since 2008. It could also send a team to the College Football Playoff.Paterno was fired in 2011 after Jerry Sandusky, his former longtime assistant was arrested for sexually abusing children. Penn State football was sanctioned by the NCAA in 2012 and has been digging out since. The Nittany Lions had three straight 7-6 seasons before this years resurgence under third-year coach James Franklin, who got a vote of confidence from athletic director Sandy Barbour earlier this season amid speculation about his job security.Franklin has deflected most questions this week about where he and Penn State have been.I do think its significant that were at a time in our history where people are talking about what we are, what we currently are, what Penn State is, he said.And it all started with that blocked field-goal attempt against Ohio State on a chilly late October night in State College, Pennsylvania.Penn State had chipped a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit down to four, but the Buckeyes were looking to add another three with a 45-yard field goal with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions at that point had only managed a couple sustained drives against the Buckeyes defense.The game drew a massive white-out crowd to Beaver Stadium, but the energy was relatively subdued throughout. Penn State fans were hopeful of an upset but not optimistic. Penn State came into the game 4-2, a three-touchdown underdog to the Buckeyes. The Nittany Lions had not won a game like this in years.Ohio State had dawdled before sending kicker Tyler Durbin and the field-goal team on the field to try to extend the fourth-quarter lead. By the time Durbin had stepped back into position, there were 4 seconds left on the play clock. Penn State defensive back Marcus Allen was 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. At the snap he broke toward the line, slipped through a crease on the left side, and leapt high with both arms raised.Cabinda, who was lined up slightly to the right of the center, heard what happened before he saw it.Really, all I remember was just the double thump and seeing Grant (Haley) scoop the ball and take off, Cabinda said.The bounce of a football is just about the most unpredictable thing in sports. Picking up the ball as it bounces around like an excited toddler is one part hand-eye coordination and two parts good fortune.Allen blocked the ball down and to the left. It bounced once, twice and a third time, and then Haley, who had lined up on the far left, cradled it on the run. The defensive back had about a 5-yard head lead on Ohio State holder Cameron Johnston when they both broke into a sprint.Grants one of the fastest players on our team, quarterback Trace McSorley said. Once I saw him get the ball I knew he was going to be able to take it all the way.Well, it wasnt quite so easy. Johnston, the Australian rules football player turned punter, has got wheels.I mean their kicker is probably one of the fastest kickers Ive seen, star running back Saquon Barkley said.Johnston closed and dove for Haley at the 15, grabbing at his waist but sliding off. Haley stumbled into the end zone and Beaver Stadium erupted in a way it has not in forever.Penn State has been one of the best teams in college football since that moment. The Nittany Lions dont look back on that block as the turning point of the season, but there is no denying that beating Ohio State was worth a lot more than beating Maryland or Minnesota.To kind of see how much that win impacted not only our team, but the entire community here at State College and Penn State, I think it really opened our eyes to how impactful Penn State football is just among the Penn State community. How much people do care about it, McSorley said. It made us appreciate everything we have here that much more and made us work harder.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP----More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.orgBillige Air Max Online . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. Billige Air Max På Nett .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. http://www.airmaxnorge.com/ . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Air Max Salg . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Air Max Norge . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. This week on the ESPN Esports podcast: ESPN esports editor Christina PeanutSC Kelly joins the show to talk about a StarCraft-packed weekend, including the SSL, Copa Intercontinental and teamless Byun ByuN Hyun Woos incredible triumph in the GSL.Rachel Gu and Jacob Wolf also sound offf on the League of Legends Worlds draw.ddddddddddddWhich is the group of death, which is the group of life and which is the group of two wild-card teams? ' ' '