STATE COLLEGE — Didn’t get Bill O’Brien a birthday gift? Don’t worry, he won’t mind one bit.

Penn State’s first-year coach is so focused getting his team ready for Saturday’s Big Ten tilt against No. 9 Ohio State that he forgot he was turning 43 on Tuesday.

That is, until his brother sent him a text Tuesday morning. A few of his players followed suit on Twitter.

“I don’t know, I’m not a big birthday guy,” O’Brien said. “My wife will list all the things that I really don’t enjoy— birthdays, weddings, theme parks, the beach.”

There’s no danger of football falling on that list any time soon, not with Penn State (5-2, 3-0) on a five-game winning streak and surging as the unbeaten Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0) visit Happy Valley this weekend.

Harsh NCAA offseason sanctions on Penn State for the school’s handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal included significant scholarship cuts and a four-year postseason ban. O’Brien and his staff, though, have channeled the players’ emotions over the predicament into an every-second-counts mentality on the field. Now, every game is like a bowl.

And after a 38-14 drubbing last week of Iowa on the road, the news dominating the headlines has to do with what’s happening on the field, not in the courts.

It’s been a while.

“I would definitely say that these guys have earned the right to play in this type of game. They’ve put a lot of time in. They’ve been through a lot,” O’Brien said. “Everything that we’ve asked them to do, they’ve done.”

Especially on offense.

Quarterback Matt McGloin and the uptempo “NASCAR” scheme trampled over the Hawkeyes defense. The no-huddle attack is getting better every week, and now the running game is getting on track, too behind the formidable trio of speedy tailback Bill Belton and fullback-like bruisers Zack Zwinak and Michael Zordich.

Under the late Joe Paterno’s leadership, Penn State relied on the safe-and-steady formula of running the ball and playing for field position. Now, O’Brien is more apt to go for it on fourth down, especially if he’s anywhere near midfield.

It might be time to rewrite the scouting report on the Nittany Lions.

“Penn State is a team that always scraps,” Ohio State safety Christian Bryant said, “always fights to the last whistle.”