JoePa’s 500th game is a 24-17 victory

The Nittany Lions fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter then dominated Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Joe Paterno’s 500th game as Penn State coach ended the way most have: with JoePa on top.

Evan Royster broke a tie with a 38-yard touchdown run and Deon Butler scored on a controversial 30-yard catch as Penn State erased an early 14-point deficit to beat Texas A&M 24-17 on Saturday night at the Alamo Bowl.

Paterno, college football’s leader in bowl appearances (34), led the Nittany Lions in a thriller that brought him his record 23rd postseason win.

Nervously pacing the sideline in his standard khakis and black sneakers, Paterno couldn’t breathe easy until the clock ticked down to zero in a roller coaster of a game.

Texas A&M’s Stephen McGee led a 15-play drive to the Penn State 2 before losing 4 yards on fourth-and-goal after slipping on an option play with about eight minutes left.

Another A&M drive ended with a punt with 2 minutes left, and Penn State ran out the clock.

The Nittany Lions secured their third straight bowl victory and spoiled Gary Darnell’s one-game stint as interim head coach. Darnell took over Nov. 23, when Dennis Franchione resigned, and A&M has hired Mike Sherman, currently offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans, take over as head coach in 2008.