Tough road tests await unbeaten No. 6 Penn St.
By GENARO C. ARMAS
AP SPORTS WRITER
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP)
_ Undefeated Penn State can
start thinking big after college
football's wild weekend.
Could a third national title
possibly be within Hall of Fame
coach Joe Paterno's grasp?
Previously-unbeaten Southern
California, Georgia, Florida and
Wisconsin all lost. Penn State
(5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) took care of
its end in a somewhat choppy
yet decisive 38-24 win over
Illinois, allowing Paterno's crew
to catapault six places to No. 6 in
the latest AP poll.
Paterno coaches from press box in Penn State win
BY CLIFF BRUNT
AP SPORTS WRITER
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP)
It just wasn't the same without
Joe Paterno roaming the sideline.
Sure, Penn State's 81-year-old
coach notched another victory
on Saturday, this one a 20-6 win
over Purdue. But he did it from
the press box because a lingering
right hip injury limited his
mobility.
Paterno was hurt while
performing an onside kick during
practice on Aug. 28. Saturday's
game marked the first time this
"We're not going to get
complacent at all. We're still
in the running for the Big Ten,
that's our main goal," linebacker
Navorro Bowman said Saturday
night.
"Ultimately we want the national
championship. There were a lot
of upsets today and luckily we
weren't one of them."
Ah, but the season is young.
After playing four of the first
five games at home, Penn State's
schedule takes a tougher turn with
four of the next five on the road,
starting with• a potentially tricky
matchup at Purdue on Saturday.
"College football is crazy,"
wideout Derrick Williams said
season he didn't start a game on
the sideline. He doesn't know if
he'll coach from the press box
next Saturday against Wisconsin.
"I'm reluctant to get into what's
going to happen next week," he
said. "I just think that some days,
it doesn't bother me much at all.
I've got a little pain."
Penn State's players noticed
Paterno's absence during the
game.
"It is different, but we don't
want him to come down there if
he's hurt," running back Evan
Royster said.
"We want him to be able to do
Frwmrwrm
after leading the Nittany Lions
with a receiving, rushing and kick
return touchdowns against the
Illini (2-2, 0-1). "Anybody can
beat you at any given time."
Then comes a trifecta of Big
Ten foes that have presented the
Nittany Lions with a ton of trouble
in the past: at Wisconsin; home
for Michigan; and the dreaded
annual contest against Ohio State,
this year at the Horseshoe.
Get past those teams unscathed
and the Nittany Lions' title hopes
get much brighter.
Penn State had to overcame
a healthy dose of adversity
Saturday night before they could
finally smile after falling behind
the best for our team."
Paterno found the strength to
be on the field at the end of the
game so he could shake hands
with Purdue coach Joe Tiller, a
friend who will retire at the end
of the season. But such things
are a challenge, now that he also
deals with arthritis.
"I've taken more pills in the last
two months than I've taken all
my life," Paterno said.
He prefers pills to the
alternative.
"I'm not letting anybody get
near me with a knife," he said.
Royster was one of the main
7-0 and 14-7 in the first quarter.
The defense was thrown off-kilter
by dual-threat quarterback Juice
Williams and Illinois' no-huddle
spread.
The Illini rushed for 189 yards
on a Nittany Lions `l3' that had
allowed just 50-plus a game
corning into the night.
"It's hard to get ready for the
tempo," Paterno said. "I think
that was the hardest part, getting
adjusted to that."
Penn State's recent penchant
for fumbling continued, with two
more • cough-ups, including one
by Stephfon Green in his own
territory that led to an Illinois field
goal that sliced the lead to 24-17
reasons that Paterno's only worry
was his hip. Royster ran for 141
yards and a touchdown and had
53 yards on four catches in No. 6
Penn State's win.
Daryll Clark completed 18 of 26
passes for 226 yards and ran for a
score for Penn State (6-0, 2-0 Big
Ten), which outgained Purdue
422 yards to 241.
Purdue quarterback Curtis
Painter finished 13-for-22 for
112 yards. He moved past Mark
Herrmann into second place on
the school's career yards passing
list, but on a day in which the
10,000 career yards passing
Oct. 8 2008
heading into the fourth quarter.
The "Spread HD" offense couldn't
rely on leading receiver Jordan
Norwood, who was sidelined by
a strained left hamstring. Starting
safety Anthony Scirrotto appeared
to suffer from leg cramps in the
fourth quarter.
And yet, Penn State pulled
through.
The defense clamped down
just enough after the frenetic
first quarter to take advantage
of Illinois miscues, including
an interception and a drive that
stalled because of two holding
Please see TOUGH ROAD
on page 20
milestone was in reach, he fell
short and was benched in the
fourth quarter. The loss left
Painter with an 0-9 record against
ranked teams in his career, and
Tiller has lost 15 straight against
ranked opponents.
Kory Sheets led Purdue (2-3,
0-1) with 59 rushing yards on 18
carries and 25 yards receiving.
He broke a tie with Mike Alstott
to set a school record with 40
career rushing touchdowns.
Please see PURDUE
on page 20