STATE COLLEGE — The back of his white jersey soiled by grass stains, P.J. Hill caught his breath on the sidelines. Covered in sweat, Wisconsin's tough tailback looked as if he were delivering another punishing performance.

Except this time, it was the Penn State defense and a jelling defensive line that delivered the knockout blows in a 38-7 rout of the Badgers on Saturday.

"They just play with a motor," senior captain Dan Connor said of the line. "They're relentless."

It's a nice sign for a defense that already features standouts Connor and Sean Lee at linebacker and a quick, experienced secondary.

It could be bad news next weekend for Indiana, Penn State's next foe, as the Nittany Lions (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) try to climb back into the conference title chase.

Sophomore defensive end Maurice Evans was a pass-rushing force, notching two sacks and adding a highlight-reel solo stop for a loss to thwart an end-around by slumping Wisconsin (5-2, 2-2).

Sophomore tackle Chris Baker didn't start, but pushed around offensive linemen once he got in the game in the second quarter. Fellow tackles Ollie Ogbu, a freshman, and Jared Odrick, a sophomore, also provided some punch in the defensive line rotation.

Junior end Josh Gaines — the only returning line starter from last season — set the tone by forcing Hill to fumble on Wisconsin's first play.

The defense held an opponent to just one touchdown for the second straight week.

It helped that the Nittany Lions scored 14 points off two early Wisconsin turnovers, forcing the Badgers to play catch-up all day. Penn State's "bend-but-don't break" defense held firm.

"So we're getting them a little bit different than their M.O., and now our guys up front can start to dig in, because that's really an excellent offensive line that we played against," defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said.

There's a ripple effect when the line plays well. Connor and Lee are free to roam the field to make plays — as when Lee picked up the fumble forced by Gaines.