Penn State wins 45-3, Paterno not on sideline in 2nd half

Penn State 45, Temple 3 -- Final

The Nittany Lions improved to 4-0 and will open Big Ten play at home next week against Illinois.

Check the Mirror on Sunday for a thorough recap of Saturday's action and developments with Joe Paterno.

Check back frequently throughout the day for Cory Giger's live blog from Beaver Stadium.

End 3Q: Penn State 38, Temple 3

Stephfon Green electrified the crowd with a 69-yard touchdown run with 10:05 left in the third quarter for a 38-3 lead.

Temple had just put its first points on the board 43 seconds earlier with a solid drive and a 26-yard field goal by Jake Brownell.

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Paterno is in the press box for the second half.

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Joe Paterno coached from the sideline during the first half but did not come out for the second half. He is not visible anywhere as play gets under way.

Paterno may come up to the press box for the remainder of the game.

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End 1st half: Penn State 31, Temple 0

The explosive Nittany Lion offense finally got going in the second quarter. Penn State got shut out in the opening period, only to pour it on in the second with four touchdowns and a field goal.

Daryll Clark hit Brett Brackett for a 20-yard TD pass with 14:27 left in the half. It was the first scoring reception of Brackett's career.

Temple went three-and-out, then the Lions struck again. Evan Royster broke free for a 32-yard TD, getting a good downfield block from receiver Graham Zug. That gave PSU a 14-0 lead with 10:49 left in the half.

The Owls returned the kickoff 74 yards to the PSU 26, only to throw an interception on the first play. Tony Davis picked it off.

The Lions went long on their first play as Clark hit Deon Butler for a 49-yard gain to the Temple 28. Two plays later, Clark ran it up the middle for an 11-yard score and 21-0 lead with 9:23 to go in the half.

Clark connected with Zug on a 17-yard TD pass over the middle with 4:35 remaining in the half to make it 28-0.

Kevin Kelly closed the half with a 44-yard field goal for a 31-0 lead.

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End 1Q: Scoreless

The surprises keep on coming.

First, Joe Paterno is on the sideline, battling through his knee problem.

Then, Temple played toe-to-toe with Penn State for the first quarter to become the first opponent to hold the Nittany Lions scoreless in the opening period.

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12:23 p.m.

DiMichele was just carted off the field. Backup QB Chester Stewart is in the game.

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12:17 p.m.

Temple QB Adam DiMichele is out of the game with what appears to be a right shoulder injury. He played only one series.

DiMichele is being worked on on the sideline and has his pads and shirt off with ice on his shoulder.

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11:59 a.m.

Joe Paterno did emerge from the tunnel with his team, meaning he will try to coach from the sideline. He walked very slowly, though, and it will be interesting to see if he makes it the whole game.

Paterno was out walking on the field 15 minutes before the game.

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UPDATE: 10:33 a.m.

Paterno was on the team bus when it arrived at Beaver Stadium a couple of minutes ago, making it a little more possible he will be able to give it a go on the sideline.

However ...

The coach looked very ginger as he took the couple of steps off the bus. He then walked slowly into the stadium, past the roaring cheers of fans.

The players have been told Paterno will be in the press box, according to the Mirror source referenced below, but that could change if the coach feels well enough between now and game time.

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9:45 a.m.

A source close to the PSU program just told the Mirror that Joe Paterno will coach from the press box and not the sideline during today's game against Temple.

Paterno has been battling a sore right leg all week. The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the main reason for the move to the press box is a concern over Paterno's lack of mobility on the sideline.

Paterno broke his left leg two years ago at Wisconsin, but it's his right leg that's bothering him this time.

Penn State has yet to confirm Paterno's plans. The university is saying a decision will be made closer to game time and has not ruled out the possibility of him coaching from the sideline.

"He'll see how he feels when he comes out," spokesman Jeff Nelson said.

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From Saturday's Mirror

Five things to look for as No. 16 Penn State plays its final non-conference game against Temple.

No. 1: All eyes on Paterno

Joe Paterno's sore right leg might force him off the sideline and up to the press box today.

Paterno missed Monday's practice and was in a golf cart Tuesday. He has been battling the leg injury most of the season, and it worsened last week when he had to stand on the hard turf at Syracuse.

Fightonstate.com reported Friday, using anonymous sources, that Nittany Lion players and assistant coaches were told Paterno will be in the press box.

Penn State spokesmen Jeff Nelson and Guido D'Elia told the Mirror they had no knowledge of any plans to have Paterno coach from the press box.

No. 2: Game not on Dish Network?

Local Dish Network subscribers apparently will not have access to today's game on the Big Ten Network.

The BTN is showing Ohio State vs. Troy. The Mirror contacted Dish Network on Friday and got connected to customer support in India. Two different calls yielded the same result - that the PSU game is not available in this area.

Each call lasted about 15 minutes, and the representatives seemed to have little idea about the subject.

Dish Network customers can try logging on to the company's Web site (dishnetwork.com) or calling 1-800-333-3474 to see if there's any new information today.

No. 3 Best of the non-con?

It's possible Temple will provide the toughest test among the four teams on Penn State's non-conference schedule.

Al Golden has done a respectable job of turning the Owls' program into at least, well, respectable. Two years ago, they couldn't even cross midfield in a 47-0 loss at Beaver Stadium, and last year they made good strides in a 31-0 home defeat to PSU.

Temple led most of the way before losing to a solid Connecticut team in week two, 12-9, then suffered a crushing 30-28 loss on a last-second, 35-yard TD pass against Buffalo last week.

''It's just deflating,'' Golden said.

The coach then talked about how it wasn't the end of the world.

''We come out to the practice field [Monday], there's no eclipse, there's no locusts on the field or anything. So I told them we're going to be all right.''

No. 4 Secondary issues

Penn State's secondary hasn't been challenged yet but might be today by experienced Temple quarterback Adam DiMichele.

The Owls can't run the ball - they average just 105 yards per game - so DiMichele likely will have to test the defensive backs.

No. 5: Life lessons

Why would a potential first-round draft pick like Maurice Evans be messing around with marijuana? Ever, let alone during the season?

It has not been proven Evans or Abe Koroma smoked the substance, but both have been charged with possession after police seized it from their apartment.

There's no telling when the players will be allowed back on the field, and their alleged bad judgment could end up costing Penn State down the road.

Prediction: Penn State 48, Temple 6

Cory Giger is at 949-7031 and cgsports12@aol.com.