UNIVERSITY PARK - A capsule look at Joe Paterno's weekly press conference.
Opponent: Iowa (3-0)
Last time vs. Penn State: Nittany Lions lost on the road last year, 24-23
Television: ABC
Line: Penn State is favored by 9 1/2 points
What revenge?: Paterno downplayed any talk of revenge after last year's crushing loss that knocked PSU out of the national title race. "I don't know what revenge has got to do with it in football," he said. "It's not like they sneaked up on us and stuck us in the back with a knife or something. They played a good football game, and they beat us."
Fact Box
Paterno presser
Cory Giger and Neil Rudel analyze Joe Paterno's press conference. Join them for this weekly video feature on altoonamirror.com.
The place will be rockin': Night games have always been exciting at Beaver Stadium, and the recent tradition of the whiteout has only enhanced the atmosphere. "To be home and to have a crowd as enthusiastic as the crowds that we have here, and to have them as loud as it has been, it's an advantage for us," JoePa said. He added the whiteout is "a bringing together of the whole institution, not only the undergraduate kids, but you see people out there that will be old men." The 82-year-old coach then paused and joked that an old man is "maybe 60," drawing laughter.
Clark on the run: The coaches will let quarterback Daryll Clark run if the team needs him to in order to win, but it's not an ideal situation. "We're certainly not looking forward to running him much," Paterno said. "But if we have to, we could run him. And I say could. That doesn't mean we have plans to do it, because we really don't."
Candid criticism: Paterno was asked about his team's kickoff coverage unit and said, "We're not really very good covering, I realize that. But we're aware of it. ... It's one of the worst things we're doing." The coaches are tinkering with the personnel, but Paterno noted he doesn't want to have too many inexperienced players out there who may not be ready for whatever may happen.
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Legacy laughs: Paterno was asked what it's like to be coaching the sons of players he coached years ago, such as tight end Mickey Shuler. "It's nice to know that the dads had enough confidence in us that their kids would come," Paterno said. "A lot of them were highly recruited. Some of them were not; some of them were walk-ons. But every once in a while I'll tell one of them, 'You're as slow as your old man,' just to bring them down to earth."
