Nittany Lions

STATE COLLEGE, PA. -- Penn State Coach Joe Paterno has no plans to go out on top of the Big Ten Conference. After the Nittany Lions routed No. 17 Michigan State, 49-18, on Saturday to earn a share of the conference title and a trip to the Rose Bowl, Paterno said he doesn't intend for his 43rd season as head coach to be his last -- at least not yet. "I'm planning on coming back, yeah," Paterno said. "I never planned otherwise."

Michael Mauti let his performance do his talking. The Penn State linebacker made an emphatic statement with six tackles, a forced fumble and two interceptions Saturday as the Nittany Lions routed Illinois, 35-7. Mauti, a senior, wasn't made available to the media last week in the days leading up to the game. The reason was clear: Mauti hadn't minced words about his feelings for Illinois at Big Ten media day. Illinois had sent a large contingent of coaches to State College, Pa., over the summer in the wake of an NCAA announcement that Penn State football players could transfer without losing eligibility as part of sanctions against the school related to the Jerry Sandusky child sexual-abuse scandal.

Notre Dame and Penn State fell from the top 10 and Miami nearly dropped out of the Associated Press' Top 25 poll. The Irish (4-2), ranked eighth last week, dropped to No. 19 after a 20-17 overtime loss to Air Force. The Nittany Lions (6-2), a top-10 team in every regular-season poll this season, lost, 21-20, to Iowa and fell from No. 10 to No. 17. Miami, beaten by East Carolina, 31-6, tumbled from No. 12 to No. 25.

Matt Barkley turned and shoved the ball into Silas Redd's hands, and Redd ran forward, charging between his new teammates on a field 2,800 miles away from his old ones. He picked up eight yards, churning his thick legs like a locomotive powering uphill, before two defenders brought him down. Redd's first carry in a cardinal-and-gold uniform Saturday in the USC's 49-10 win against Hawaii was tough, each yard a struggle. But when he picked himself up, applause from a sun-splashed Coliseum crowd washed over him. The junior left behind Penn State, where he rushed for 1,241 yards and seven touchdowns last season, in the aftermath of NCAA sanctions handed down after a child sex abuse scandal.

In its 99-year football history, Penn State has won a national championship, had four undefeated, untied seasons and made 23 bowl appearances. Things that can't be measured by traditional standards are what counts to Coach Joe Paterno, however, as the Nittany Lions celebrate their "Century of Excellence" this year. "This business about 'winning is the only thing' is nonsense," the long-time Nittany Lion mentor said. "We tell our players, 'It's a game, enjoy it.

Joe Paterno expected Michigan State to run the ball. He never dreamed the Spartans would run it so well. Sedrick Irvin and Marc Renaud each ran for more than 200 yards against No. 4 Penn State as Michigan State rolled to a 49-14 victory Saturday, virtually killing the Nittany Lions' hopes for a berth in an alliance bowl game. "I was surprised with the way they ran," Paterno said. "I knew they were going to run, but I thought it would be a contest.

Penn State learned its lesson and made Purdue pay for it. "We had to go out there and establish a running game. It's Big Ten football, and you have to run the ball, like Michigan did on us," said Curtis Enis, whose four touchdowns led the No. 6 Nittany Lions over No. 19 Purdue, 42-17, Saturday at West Lafayette, Ind. A week earlier, top-ranked Michigan embarrassed Penn State, 34-8, the worst home loss in Joe Paterno's 32 years as coach.

With separation Saturday in the books, the national spotlight swings to the Big Ten, where top-ranked Ohio State and No. 24 Penn State meet at Columbus in an important game for both teams. Ohio State (3-0) has won 10 in a row dating to last season and is trying to win a national championship. But the Buckeyes must avoid a hiccup against the last team to beat them.

Joe Paterno and his Big Ten coaching colleagues can stop growling about being shortchanged in the polls: Penn State will start the season as the No. 1 team in college football. For the first time in school history, the Nittany Lions received top billing in The Associated Press preseason poll. Since the AP preseason poll began in 1950, the highest ranking Penn State could muster was No. 3--in 1969 and 1978. "It will be great for the fans and I think the kids will enjoy it too," Paterno said.

It has been 18 years since a No. 1 team visited Happy Valley, so it's easy to understand the hype in State College, Pa., as No. 24 Penn State prepares for tonight's game against top-ranked Ohio State. Students have been camped out for seats since Tuesday, "Beat Ohio State" T-shirts have popped up in storefronts and the student section plans a "whiteout" -- 21,000 fans wearing white T-shirts in one end zone in an effort to distract the Buckeyes.

There was no storybook start for Bill O'Brien in his debut as Penn State's football coach. The Nittany Lions were shut out in the second half by Ohio on Saturday and lost, 24-14. Before a capacity crowd of more than 97,000 at Beaver Stadium, Penn State jumped out to a 14-3 lead at the half. But in the end the Nittany Lions were done in by three turnovers -- and Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton. PHOTOS: Penn State opens new era Tettleton completed 31 of 41 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The chant was persistent and pervasive. It started outside Beaver Stadium before noon and continued inside throughout the game. It cut through months of pent-up pain and jaw-dropping allegations and court trials and NCAA sanctions. "We are … Penn State!" Another harsh reality, though, dropped in on Happy Valley as the football team and community tried to move forward from a poisonous past year. They are … 0-1. The first Penn State game since 1949 played without Joe Paterno on staff played out excitedly and beautifully - for Ohio, which defeated Penn State, 24-14, before a less-than-capacity crowd of 97,186.

— Nothing seemed too different in Happy Valley on Friday, the day before the season opener. The counter girl at The Creamery scooped out large mounds of "Peachy Paterno" ice cream and said it remained, by far, the most popular flavor. A simple placard hung on the front door at the late Joe Paterno's house on 830 McKee St. read, "Proud to Support Penn State Football. " Fans camped in tents outside Beaver Stadium in advance of Saturday's opener against Ohio. The campus buzzed with activity as students crisscrossed sidewalks and lawns on a spectacularly bright and warm last day of August.

Good times won't feel quite as good for Penn State football fans this season. Among the many changes around Beaver Stadium this fall, one of the most talked about - in the last 24 hours at least - has been the removal of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" from the game-day playlist. The Altoona Mirror first reported the decision Monday, buried deep in an article about all the changes taking place at the start of the post-Joe Paterno, post-Jerry Sandusky scandal era for the Nittany Lions.

BASEBALL URBAN LEGEND : A Penn State baseball player came up with the "Nittany Lion" mascot at a baseball game as a response to taunts from fans of another team. As I have detailed in a number of legends over the years (like this tale of the Georgetown mascot that was a war hero), college fans and players have always taken a great deal of pride from their school mascots. What do you do, then, when your school does not have a mascot? That was the situation that a Penn State baseball player found himself in in 1904 when he managed to invent the Nittany Lion out of whole cloth as an answer to taunts from Princeton baseball supporters.

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien has agreed to become Penn State's coach, according to multiple reports Thursday. ESPN, CBS Sports and the Boston Herald, citing people who spoke on the condition of anonymity, reported that O'Brien, in his fifth season with the Patriots, will become the 15th head football coach in Nittany Lions history. The ESPN report said an announcement could come Saturday. Asked about the reports, a Penn State spokesperson said, "We will comment when we name the new coach.

Penn State wanted to avoid a letdown. What it got was more like a meltdown. A week after an emotional victory over Ohio State, Penn State had to score twice in the fourth quarter Saturday to beat lowly Minnesota, 16-15, and keep alive hopes for a national championship. "It was a win. You shouldn't apologize for it," Penn State Coach Joe Paterno said. "We just couldn't seem to get into a groove. We tried things but they were ready for us. They [the players] were fortunate it was a win.

If asked to name their favorite college football teams, it is doubtful that Miami would be ranked near the top of the Penn State Nittany Lions' lists. "But I don't think we'll have any trouble pulling for them against Nebraska," Penn State guard Jeff Hartings said. Although the Lions do not plan to gather as a team to watch tonight's Orange Bowl game between Miami and Nebraska, most said they will be in front of their televisions to see whether the No. 3 Hurricanes can knock the No.

With a Friday deadline looming, the NCAA signaled it would give Penn State more time to respond to its inquiry over the university's handling of child sex abuse accusations against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky . Penn State general counsel Cynthia Baldwin said in a letter to NCAA President Mark Emmert released Thursday that answers to the NCAA's questions about the Sandusky case might come from other, separate probes already...

Junior outside hitter Rachael Kidder had 15 kills and UCLA swept four-time defending national volleyball champion Penn State in the NCAA regional semifinals at Lexington, Ky., to end the Nittany Lions' record 26-game postseason winning streak. Aiyana Whitney had 12 kills for the eighth-seeded Nittany Lions in the 25-20, 25-22, 25-21 loss. Kelly Reeves had 11 kills, and senior Lainey Gera led the ninth-seeded Bruins (27-6) with 15 digs. Penn State (25-8) held a 13-12 lead in the first set and a 1-0 lead in the third set but UCLA rallied in each.