STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — In bright white letters against a blue background, the electronic signboards around Beaver Stadium took note of another milestone for Joe Paterno long after the stands had cleared.
Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was sacked by Penn State's Devon Still.
“Congratulations Coach Paterno,” the signs read. “Winningest Coach in Division I College Football.”
It took all 60 minutes on a snowy, sloppy Saturday in Happy Valley, but Paterno broke Eddie Robinson’s record with Victory No. 409 as No. 21 Penn State defeated Illinois, 10-7.
The Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten) overcame six fumbles — two of which they lost — with Silas Redd’s 3-yard touchdown run with 1 minute 8 seconds left. Penn State’s only touchdown came after Illinois corner Justin Green was whistled for pass interference while breaking up a fourth-down pass to Derek Moye in the end zone.
Illinois (6-3, 2-3) drove from its 17 to the Penn State 25 on the next drive, but Derek Dimke’s 42-yard field goal attempt bounced off the right upright as time expired.
Even Paterno was nervous in the press box before Penn State’s last drive. Paterno coached from upstairs; he still has a sore right leg, shoulder and pelvis after an accidental preseason hit.
“Did I have any doubts?” he asked, chuckling. “Sure I had doubts — but it worked out anyway.”
Among all coaches, Paterno trails only John Gagliardi, still active at Division III St. John’s, Minn., with 481 victories.
“It really is something I’m very proud of, to be associated with Eddie Robinson,” Paterno said 10 minutes later, in a brief postgame ceremony in the media room broadcast to fans still waiting in the stands, who were bundled up in winter parkas and hoodies to combat an early-season snowstorm. “Something like this means a lot to me, an awful lot. But there’s a lot of other people I’ve got to thank.”
Start with Redd, the budding star who had a career-high 30 carries for 137 yards for Penn State, none bigger than his late touchdown run.
After struggling most of the afternoon, quarterback Matt McGloin drove Penn State from its 20 to the Illini 32 on three long completions before the pass interference call gave the Nittany Lions a second chance.
Redd capitalized four plays later by barreling into the end zone, the crowd erupting in delight. Jason Ford rushed for 100 yards on 24 carries, but Illinois couldn’t capitalize on Penn State’s mistakes in a defensive slugfest.
And the Illini’s offense wasn’t much better than Penn State’s; they got just enough in the third quarter from their scrambling quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase to scratch out a 10-yard touchdown pass to Spencer Harris for a 7-0 lead.
The Illinois defense held firm from there until Penn State’s late touchdown drive.
“They were just able to find their receivers,” the standout Illinois end Michael Buchanan said. “They weren’t able to do that all game; we pretty much got them all game”
After the game, Paterno had one last message to the frigid fans outside before they headed to the exits in relief.
“For all the fans out there, thanks for sitting through that today,” Paterno said half-jokingly. “You’ve got to be nuts!”
No comments:
Post a Comment