COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Penn State’s Villains Emerge as Its Heroes : Nonconference: Engram leads final drive, Conway kicks game-winning field goal with four seconds left.

Brett Conway and Bobby Engram were the goats and the nation’s longest winning streak was in jeopardy when Penn State got the ball trailing Texas Tech by two with 6 1/2 minutes left.

But Engram, whose two fumbled punts led to touchdowns for the Red Raiders, caught three passes in the final drive, and Conway, who missed two field goals, kicked the game-winner as the No. 4 Nittany Lions defeated the Red Raiders, 24-23, Saturday in the season opener for both teams.

“I put us in a hole,” Engram said. “I felt responsible and I wanted to get us out.”

Coach Joe Paterno said, “He’s such a competitor, he wanted to get us back by himself and he darn near did that.”

Conway, who made 10 of 12 field-goal attempts last year, missed from 37 and 49 yards Saturday. He made a 39-yarder with four seconds remaining to beat the Red Raiders, who were three-touchdown underdogs.

“My snap was perfect, my hold was perfect,” Conway said. “I put all the pressure on myself by missing the first two.”

Said Texas Tech linebacker Marcus Coleman: “It looked wide right, then I looked at the official and my heart went down to my feet.”

The field goal was the winning margin because Texas Tech’s Jaret Greaser missed an extra point earlier.

“That kills you to lose a football game like that,” Tech Coach Spike Dykes said. “I give Penn State credit, they did what they had to do to win--just like a championship team.”

Penn State has won 18 in a row.

The Red Raiders turned three fumbles, one fewer than Penn State lost all last season, into touchdowns and built a 20-7 halftime lead.

Penn State started its comeback after Terry Killens recovered a fumble by Byron Hanspard at the 3. That set up Jon Witman’s touchdown to make the score 20-14 with 4:15 left in the third.

“[The fumble] got them going,” Texas Tech quarterback Zebbie Lethridge said. “A play like that can really change a ball game.”