Penn State Football: Coach Joe Paterno's 400th Win Makes for a Special Night

Probably the most impressive thing about last night's 35-21 win against a feisty Northwestern football team was not the game itself, but the fact that the crowd at Beaver Stadium didn't leave. 

It's not that the game wasn't exciting—more on that later.  But at Beaver Stadium, there is a consistent routine toward the end of a game no matter what the final score. 

My husband Terry refers to it as the "third quarter crowd," the "eight-minute crowd," and the "five-minute crowd."  These are the groups who exit the game before its end, usually even when the game is too close to call. 

There are practical reasons for their leaving, mostly related to the difficulty in getting out of the parking lots.  If the game is a blow-out, sometimes they like to get an early start on a postgame tailgate and a celebratory or consolatory drink.

But last night, other than some who left at half-time, when Northwestern led 21-7, nobody left. 

Nobody. 

Even after Penn State miraculously captured the lead and then went up by two touchdowns with 11:38 left in the fourth quarter.

The House that Joe Built was still full at the end of the game, when Penn State, in a dominating second-half performance, beat Northwestern 35-21. 

And when the celebration finally began, and the chants of Joe-Pa-Ter-No came roaring from the student section and were echoed throughout, we were all there to enjoy a special moment celebrating the legacy that Joe Paterno has built at Penn State.

Penn State has been lucky—really lucky—to have such an outstanding college football coach who has stood for much more than winning football games. 

Last night, the crowd stayed to watch a very moving video of Joe Paterno's life and work in State College and at Penn State, to watch Paterno receive a crystal football commemorating his 400th win, and to thank him for all he has done to make Penn State great.  Not just for football, but for Penn State.

Joe Paterno has helped to put Penn State University on the map, as an athletic and educational institution.  He is one of the reasons that Penn State is this country's most popular university, receiving more applications for admission than any other university.

Joe Paterno, in a short, moving speech, acknowledged the crowd who stayed until the end (yes, he noticed, too!), his family, the players and coaches who brought him the win, and the many other players who brought him wins in the past.  He then turned his focus on next week and said Penn State has a football game to win against Ohio State.

Typical of Joe Paterno, he turned the focus away from himself and onto all the people who helped him along the way.  He said, "Look around…" and expressed his love for all of us as the reason he has stayed so long.  Sound like a politician? 

In fact, Paterno's better than a politician.  First and foremost, he knows how to work a crowd, and he appeals to people of all ages.  That hasn't changed with age.  In fact, he's better than ever.  It's what we love about him, and why we all stayed to hear what he had to say! 

Above all, Coach Paterno perceives himself as an educator of young men.  And that fact was evident in the song chosen for last night's video ("Father and Friend" by Alain Clark) and in last night's postgame comments after the win. 

For Joe, it wasn't so much the satisfaction of 400 wins, but the satisfaction of knowing that this particular team finally figured out how to turn it around in a tough game to earn a come-from-behind win. 

That's also what we like about Joe Paterno: his focus.  

Some would say Joe is humble. I wouldn't say that.  Joe knows how good he is.

But Joe also knows better than most that his success would not have been possible without the willing participation of the young men he has coached and the assistant coaches who take care of so many details each and every season. 

Last night's game was a case in point.  In the 23 years that I have been following Penn State, I have been fortunate to witness three incredible turnaround games: the 1992 Fiesta Bowl win against Tennessee, the 1994 game at Illinois—the only other time Penn State has overcome a 21-point deficit, and last night's game at Beaver Stadium against Northwestern.

This was the biggest deficit that Joe Paterno had ever faced in 45 years at Beaver stadium. 

Think of this: it was 21-0 in favor of Northwestern with 50 seconds left in the first half.  And yet the offense didn't give up and made some big plays to complete a nine-play, 91-yard drive in 47 seconds. 

With that incredible drive, it was a two-touchdown deficit.  Most importantly it was a momentum changer that forced both teams to make halftime adjustments.  The Lions would have possession at the beginning of the third quarter and the chance to drive down the field for another score. 

That is exactly what happened in a 14-play, 84-yard drive that took nearly six minutes off the clock.  All of a sudden, that 21-point deficit was reduced to seven. 

It was an incredibly effective third quarter for Penn State.  The defense stepped up and stopped Northwestern consistently, forcing three-and-outs on each of the Wildcats' possessions and ensuring excellent field position for the Lions.  The offense scored two more touchdowns.  By the end of the third quarter, Penn State was up 28-21, a four-touchdown swing in less than 15 minutes of play!

Even God seemed to be smiling on Beaver Stadium.  A rainbow appeared in the Northeast corner of the stadium just as the game started, and a strange weather day that combined sun with periods of rain and even a few seconds of sleet turned dry as the evening progressed.

The scoring was over with 11:38 left in the fourth quarter.  The rest of the game was ball control offense and good defense.  Penn State was classy enough not to try to score another touchdown when it was possible.  Northwestern was classy enough to accept running down the clock when they knew it was over, accepting a turnover on downs with 1:33 left in the game.

This young Penn State team really stepped up.  It learned how to win a tough one.   Perhaps it was the pursuit of Joe's 400th win that motivated the players to an extraordinary comeback.  Perhaps it was for themselves, as the Nittany Lions are now bowl-eligible with a 6-3 record.  Perhaps Joe's prediction at the beginning of the season is about to become true: this team will be very good.

My only response to the entire team effort: "well done."

At the end of the game, Larry Neff, who has sat in front of us for 32 years at Beaver Stadium, turned to us and said, "We won't know what we will miss until he's gone." 

That statement said it all to me.  We really won't know what we will miss. 

Penn State has had it so good for 45 years.  To quote Penn State's radio broadcaster Steve Jones, "You'll never see this again: One man, One school, 400 wins."

And while we all know that sooner or later all good things must come to an end, Joe's tenure at Penn State has lasted longer than any of us ever expected.

My plan is to cherish everything about Joe Paterno's final games here at Penn State, for as long as they last. 

We should savor every moment while we still can.

This article also appears on View from the Stands - Penn State Football - where you can view more photos from the game and follow a link to the video shown after Joe Paterno's 400th win.