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AP
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Cane in hand, Joe Paterno beamed in the locker room after his players were handed roses and the Big Ten trophy.
So, Joe, any plans to go out on top?
Not a chance.
After likely securing a trip to the Rose Bowl with a decisive 49-18 win Saturday over No. 17 Michigan State, the Hall of Fame coach gave his fans another reason to smile.
“I’m planning on coming back, yeah,” Paterno said. “I never planned otherwise. Everyone’s making a big deal that I don’t have a contract signed. I’ve never even asked to do that.”
The details still need to be hammered out in the next couple weeks with athletic director Tim Curley and school president Graham Spanier, he said. Both men were in the locker room after the game, and standing off to the side as Paterno spoke to the press in the media room.
Paterno and Spanier had said in the spring that the 81-year-old coach Paterno didn’t need something in writing to return to a job he’s held for a record 43 years.
“I’ll sit down some time ... and say, ’Hey, what do you think of this, what do you think of that, what are we going to do’ and that kind of thing,” Paterno said.
“So when I talk to a high school kid, I can be honest with them. Right now, I have no plans to leave. We’ll see what happens.”
Daryll Clark threw for career-highs of 341 yards and four touchdowns and a stingy Penn State defense held Javon Ringer to a season-low 42 yards.
With Paterno relegated to the press box again because of the sore hip, Penn State (11-1, 7-1) secured a share of the conference title and likely the school’s first trip to Pasadena since 1995.
Penn State will head to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 and likely face the winner of the Pac-10, unless the Nittany Lions get a lot of help and move up the BCS standings and qualify for the BCS title game.
Rumors have swirled for weeks as to whether Saturday might be JoePa’s last game at Beaver Stadium. Paterno has never talked about quitting, and his postgame comments Saturday were his most decisive yet about his future intentions.
It was a memorable day regardless in snowy and cold Happy Valley.
A stiff wind and temperatures in the upper 20s couldn’t keep a sellout crowd of more than 109,000 fans from rocking in the stands. Many of them were bundled up in parkas and winter coats, staying warm by waving white pom-poms in the air.
“Joe Paterno! Joe Paterno!” yelled fans in the stands midway through the fourth quarter as they turned and smiled at the coach in the press box.
Penn State’s seniors celebrated their final home game in style, some holding roses in their mouths after the game as giddy fans snapped pictures from the stands.
“We reached one goal, now we just need to go on the road and win a bowl game,” tailback Evan Royster said.
The Nittany Lions claimed a share of the Big Ten title with Ohio State, which beat Michigan earlier Saturday.
But Penn State owns the conference’s automatic BCS bid by virtue of its 13-6 win over the Buckeyes earlier this year.
Some players even tried to get defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who’s taken the lead role on the sideline with Paterno in the press box, to put a rose in his mouth in the closing seconds.
Bradley tried to stay serious, fighting back a smile, as the players celebrated.
The final home game for Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and 15 other Penn State seniors ended with the school joining Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Nebraska and Ohio State as programs with 800 victories.
Butler caught three TDs in his last home game, and, fittingly, Williams and fellow senior captain Anthony Scirrotto played integral roles in helping Penn State build a 28-0 lead late in the first half.
Under pressure, Michigan State quarterback Brian Hoyer rushed a pass over the middle. Scirrotto stepped in front for an interception at the Spartans 46, returning it 14 yards.
On the next play, Williams made a leaping catch at the 2 on a pass from Clark with Spartans safety Danny Fortener right on the receiver’s back. Williams’ momentum carried him into the end zone for a score and Penn State’s four-touchdown lead.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
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