A capsule look at Joe Paterno's weekly press conference.
Opponent: Eastern Michigan (2-1)
Last time vs. Penn State: The Nittany Lions won, 52-7, at home in 1992
Kickoff: Saturday, noon, Beaver Stadium
Television: ESPN2
Line: Penn State is favored by 29
Fact Box
Paterno Presser
Watch Cory Giger and Neil Rudel discuss all the Penn State news in the weekly Paterno Presser video at altoonamirror.com.
Fourth-down confusion: It was widely reported after Saturday's game that most of the assistant coaches wanted to go for it on fourth-and-1 at the Temple 3, a decision that helped PSU win the game. JoePa remembers it differently and gave all the credit to his son, the quarterbacks coach. "Everybody wanted to kick the ball except Jay Paterno," he said. "We would have kicked that ball if it wasn't for Jay. Jay said, 'No, we'll put it in, we'll get it in.' And he said something to the quarterbacks about, 'Hey, you tell those guys they've got to get it in.' And we got it in."
Walking the walk: Paterno did not have to use a cane to help him walk to and from his press conference Tuesday and appeared to be in better shape with his recovery from last month's collision with WR Devon Smith. It's still doubtful he will be able to coach from the sideline this week, however, given that his mobility remains limited.
Having trouble talking the talk: Paterno's hearing has been a lot better this season, but he struggled to understand numerous questions Tuesday. He was told by one reporter that Eastern Michigan's coach had said PSU's offense has done the same things for years, and Paterno thought it was a reference to something he had said and became confused for a few moments. There were other instances when he couldn't understand questions about WR Derek Moye -- he thought he was being asked about someone named Roy -- and when asked about Adam Taliaferro running for political office, Paterno got confused and started talking about how Taliaferro recently got married.
Realignment roundup: Paterno said switching to the ACC is "a good move for Syracuse and Pitt" and noted that it "would not only be a big asset to them football-wise, it can't hurt their basketball." JoePa then talked about Penn State's place in realignment. "There might be even some speculation that Penn State maybe ought to get into something different, or we ought to try to go out and get some people from the East to come into the Big Ten," he said.
Not so fast: The Associated Press contacted PSU president Graham Spanier about Paterno's Big Ten comments, and Spanier made it clear nothing is in the works for the league. "The Big Ten does not contemplate a change and feels very secure in its current arrangement," Spanier wrote to the AP. "This applies to all of our 12 members, including Penn State."
-- Compiled by Cory Giger
