JoePa questionable for sideline duty

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — One of the most closely watched injuries in college football belongs to an 81-year-old man who hasn’t played a snap in six decades.

Of course, when that man is Penn State coach Joe Paterno, every step is watched, every word scrutinized.

The hall of famer said Tuesday his sore right leg still hurts enough that he won’t decide until week’s end on whether he’ll coach undefeated Penn State (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) from the sideline or the press box for Saturday night’s contest at Wisconsin.

Coaching from the sideline remains a week-to-week proposition. He relegated himself to the box for the No. 6 Nittany Lions’ win last week over Purdue, after spending the entire victory the previous week over Illinois on the field.

“It’s up and down. It’s one of those things I’m going to have for a while, so I just have to live with it but we’ll see by the end of the week,” Paterno said Tuesday at Beaver Stadium.

The injury occurred while demonstrating an onside kick at practice the week before the season opener against Coastal Carolina. It’s part of a fun ritual to signify the end of practice each week.

Paterno admits he “overdid some things” then. The pain appeared to get worse after Penn State’s win Sept. 13 over Syracuse on the hard artificial turf of the Carrier Dome.

He revealed the injury before the Sept. 20 home win over Temple, and spent the second half of that game in the box.

Tuesday Paterno appeared a little more at ease climbing three steps in the media room to get to the microphone, his gait looking slightly more steady than the slow and pronounced limp he’s had on the field at times recently.

“I’m going to live with it a couple weeks, maybe even more than that. But hey, that’s why I get the big money,” he snickered.

The once-avid walker can’t go the 5 or 6 miles a day he used try to stroll — and it’s especially not an option if there’s practice that afternoon.

To save wear and tear, Paterno gets shuttled around practice on a golf cart. His shrill voice is still ever-present, quarterback Daryll Clark said.