DATE: Sunday, September 14, 1997            TAG: 9709140257

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO

                                            LENGTH:   65 lines

EVEN WITH ALL HIS SUCCESS, IT SEEMS JOEPA STILL CAN'T WIN

Imagine that. After all these years at the top of college football, Joe Paterno is being told he doesn't have a clue how to play the game.

As comfortably outdated as his nerdy eyeglasses, JoePa just doesn't have it in him to deliberately run up the score against an outclassed opponent. And when overwhelming victory is secure, his first instinct is to try and work the second and third stringers into the game.

For this, the Penn State coach must explain himself.

If you think our sports culture hasn't changed in profound ways, consider the bizarre spectacle of Paterno defending his decision not to humiliate a fallen foe.

When Penn State thrashed Pittsburgh last Saturday by a mere 17 points, the Nittany Lions saw their first-place lead in The Associated Press poll shrink. Against Paterno's third string, Pittsburgh scored a couple of late touchdowns. Big deal.

Instead of rewarding Paterno for his mercy and generosity of spirit, the pinheaded poll voters punished Penn State.

The victory, some decided, wasn't convincing enough. Not when No. 2 Florida chose to debase harmless Central Michigan 82-6.

Steve Spurrier ran up the score against a hapless foil, doing nothing less than pandering to the pollsters and inflating his own ego. And yet it was Paterno, not the Florida peacock, who is alleged to have done something wrong.

``My obligation,'' said Paterno, whose team dismantled Temple 52-10 Saturday, ``is to make sure that everyone who works hard gets a chance to play if the opportunity is there to play them. To not play some kids who really look forward to playing because I want to make sure we win by X number of points would be irresponsible on my part.''

This is precisely the sort of attitude that cost Paterno votes in 1994, when Penn State dropped to No. 2 in the polls despite an undefeated record. No matter.

``Look,'' he says, ``these are college students. They should get some satisfaction after they've worked hard all week.''

He would rather satisfy his college students than kowtow to the opinions of ``people whose judgment I don't have much respect for.''

That would be the media. People, Paterno says, who ``believe that because you win by 25 points, that makes you better than if you win by 15 points.''

This may tell about the sort of person Paterno is. What kind of person, then, is Spurrier, who thinks it's cute to leave hapless opponents bloodied and bowed?

What sort of message is Spurrier sending to the Sandlot Napoleons who coach our kids? That it is perfectly fine - not to mention a lot of fun - to grind your heel into the neck of a bewildered adversary long after the game has been decided?

Once, Paterno said he did not anticipate retiring anytime soon. What, he asked, and turn the game over to the Jackie Sherrills of the world?

Now, playing the role of the anti-Spurrier puts him at the mercy of the numbers crunchers who vote in the polls. What can you say for a process that puts such responsibility in the hands of people willing to reward schools for humiliating overmatched opponents - what in some circles is still considered poor sportsmanship?

``It's so unreasonable to me,'' Paterno says, ``that I just don't want to get down to that level.''

Alas, Paterno can't always choose the level at which the polls and college football are conducted. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Penn State coach Joe Paterno

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