Penn State’s four losses this season have been by 20 points or more. That has never happened before in Joe Paterno’s 45 seasons as coach. But he isn’t ready to give up on this disappointing season and look to the future. “We’ll worry about next year as soon as this season’s over,” he said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. The Nittany Lions (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten Conference) have been outscored, 119-33, in their four losses, and their average margin of defeat is 21 1/2 points. Yet Paterno, whose Lions play Indiana (4-6, 0-6) Saturday at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., believes his team has been more competitive than the scores indicate in lopsided loss to Alabama, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio State. “There’s a lot of things that go on now that takes a little longer to develop into a real steady, consistent football team,” he said. “And I don’t see any reason why that won’t happen with this club. They are hard workers and good kids. “And I think that we can look forward to … we have got Indiana and then we have got Michigan State, and Michigan State can win the Big Ten championship. We have got a couple of tough games to play here.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Penn State coach Joe Paterno got in on the act during his Big Ten teleconference Tuesday, pointing a proverbial finger at two key culprits he says have led the team’s issue – himself and a rash of injuries. “I think overall we were poor (against Illinois),” said Paterno, whose squad is off this coming Saturday. “I don’t think I did a very good job of getting them ready, to be frank. We just weren’t on top of some things, didn’t make a couple of adjustments we could have made.” In terms of injuries, Paterno repeatedly stated he did not want to use them as an excuse. “As far as I’m concerned, the less we talk about it, the better I like it,” he said. But he repeatedly went back to the subject, whether prompted by questions or on his own, at one point saying the team’s veteran medical staff indicated, “this is the worst situation they’ve had in 24 years since they’ve been here.” – Scout.com

Listen to Joe Paterno, and you get a sense that even he’s not sure why his team is struggling so mightily in some facets five weeks into the season. Injuries are one thing. And the Nittany Lions, owners of two blowout losses to top-tier opponents, have endured plenty of them already. That’s the easy to understand part. Then there’s this: In heavily watched games against Alabama, Temple and Iowa, Penn State has appeared unemotional, tentative and lost at the beginning. The Lions have adjusted, to some degree, each time, but it was far too late in two of those instances and nearly too late in the other. When asked about the slow starts, Paterno said he didn’t have answers. “I’m disappointed, as I’m sure the kids are themselves about that,” Paterno said. “If we’re going to be a good football team we gotta be ready to play on the opening kickoff. “We’ve been just a little tentative, and I’m not sure why, to be frank with you because we’ve talked about it a great deal, and we’ve tried to practice at a tempo so that when we started the ball game, everybody knew exactly what we were going to do … “So I don’t really know what to tell you as to why.” — York Daily Record

The mild heart attack suffered last weekend by Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio didn’t quite compel 83-year-old Joe Paterno to step back and reevaluate the stressful nature of what he does for a living. “I coach exactly the way I’ve coached,” Paterno said Tuesday. “I don’t have any physical problems. I had that little bout with those antibiotics [an intestinal ailment during the summer] and a couple of things . . . but I’m fine. “Knock on wood, I’ve never had any problem, heart problems or whatnot. I’ve been a great walker. I’ve got to do more walking than I’ve been doing in the past because of time. So much more is demanded of us these days, and I think that’s probably what happened” to Dantonio. Paterno said “there was stress in everything in this day and age,” not just coaching. He said the media demands are tougher, with ESPN and other outlets showing multiple games. “Everybody’s got an opinion,” he said. “Everybody tells people what the coach should and shouldn’t do. But they do that in everything – politics, business.” During his Big Ten conference call, Paterno said: “I’ve never taken [coaching] to the point where I felt that kind of pressure. We do the best job we can. We work hard at it. I’m fortunate to have great assistants who do most of the work, so it’s not hard for me.” — Philadelphia Inquirer

Word trickled down from Happy Valley a few times in the preseason that freshman Robert Bolden was looking more and more like a serious contender to become Penn State’s starting quarterback for Saturday’s season opener. Despite those reports, the thought among veteran Joe Paterno watchers was that the 83-year-old coach would never – ever – choose a guy going into his first collegiate game to take the initial snap from center, especially in front of 100,000 people, no matter how friendly. But in an announcement that was, strangely, somewhat surprising but not totally unexpected, Bolden was named Wednesday night by Paterno as the starter for Saturday’s game against Youngstown State at Beaver Stadium. In marking the first time in his 45-year tenure as head coach that a true freshman will start an opener at quarterback. Paterno gave Bolden the nod over sophomores Matt McGloin and Kevin Newsome, the backup last year to Daryll Clark. “Based on what we have seen to this point, Bolden has a slight edge right now,” Paterno said in a statement, “but we are confident all three quarterbacks are ready to go and hope to give them an opportunity to play until we settle on the one that gives us the best chance to win.” With those remarks, Paterno left the door open for McGloin and Newsome to overtake Bolden as the regular starter. On the Nittany Lions’ depth chart, Bolden, McGloin, and Newsome will be designated 1A, 1B, and 1C, respectively. For now, though, Bolden is the first true freshman to start at quarterback in Penn State’s opener. — Philadelphia Inquirer

Quarterbacks Kevin Newsome and Matt McGloin are awaiting the announcement of the Penn State starter for Saturday’s opener. The quarterback listing read: “Matt McGloin OR Kevin Newsome OR Robert Bolden.” McGloin, a redshirt sophomore, is said to have a slight lead over Newsome, a sophomore. Reports from Happy Valley are that Bolden, a freshman who has been on campus less than three months, has been extremely impressive and could get some playing time in the opener. According to reports, all three took snaps with the first team Friday in the final scrimmage of preseason. Paterno hasn’t commented on the quarterback situation, or anything involving the Lions, since the team’s Aug. 12 media day. He is expected to make his next comments Tuesday when he holds the first of his weekly teleconferences. — Philadelphia Inquirer

Tom Bradley hears the chatter. Entering his 11th season as Penn State’s defensive coordinator and his 32nd as a Nittany Lions assistant, Bradley, 54, is considered the favorite to replace Joe Paterno as head coach whenever the job becomes open. “Obviously, it’s on his mind,” said Jim Bradley, Tom’s older brother and the Steelers’ orthopedic surgeon for the past 19 years. “He gets contacted by a lot of people. He has turned down positions, but he does not talk about it due to respect and general decorum. It’s like dating a girl and talking about it. It is not acceptable behavior.” — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Two inexperienced Penn State players in search of their first college starts, sophomore Kevin Newsome and redshirt sophomore Matt McGloin, are vying to replace Daryll Clark, a two-year starter and the Big Ten Conference’s co-MVP last season. “Definitely, quarterback is my biggest concern,” Stefen Wisniewski said Tuesday before the Big Ten kickoff luncheon. “I guess it’s not so much a concern as it is an unknown as to who it’s going to be. “Both guys are really pretty similar, but Newsome is a little bit more of a running threat.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette