Paterno bars players from speaking to media

Meanwhile, Penn State coach Joe Paterno is treating it a little different.

For the first time in recent memory, the Nittany Lions' coach of 50 years is barring most of his players from talking to reporters in the days before Saturday's game at Beaver Stadium.

"I just think they need a little time to themselves," Paterno said Tuesday. "I think this thing has gotten a little bit ridiculous, the amount of time they have had to give up to it."

He said his team is swarmed with attention-seekers - not just reporters, but from fans and autograph hounds, as well.

AP PHOTO In response to the swarming attention surrounding his No.2 Penn State team, coach Joe Paterno is preventing many of his players from talking to the media leading up to Saturday's game against Ohio State.

"You can't get away from it. It got to the point where we've got to get some control over it.

"You guys keep forgetting they're still college students. LaVar Arrington walks down the street and he's besieged by people."

"You're the first people that would crucify them if they don't go to class or they flunk out of school or something happens to them. I've got to protect them," he said. "This is just a week I felt I had to get a grip on it."

But the three players speaking for the team this week said doing interviews isn't a big deal, so there may be more to the ban than Paterno worrying about overwhelmed players.

He could be upset with No. 2 Penn State's lackluster 31-7 victory over Iowa on Saturday, when the Lions (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) needed a fourth-down stand to stave off a late rally from the 1-4 Hawkeyes.

Though he said he was pleased with his team's performance.

Or, probably closer to the point, he could be worried about another meeting with the No. 18 Buckeyes, a rivalry that has turned spirited in the six years since Penn State joined the Big Ten.

The Buckeyes are 4-2 against the Lions since 1993, beating them 28-9 last year and embarrassing them 38-7 three years ago.

In 1997, the No. 1 Lions came from behind to pull out an emotional 31-27 victory.

The Buckeyes have lost two games already this season, but Paterno thinks this could be the best team Penn State has played so far. The Lions then have a Nov. 13 faceoff with another conference foe - Michigan - a team they have lost to for the past two years.

The Lions, meanwhile, haven't been entirely convincing in going undefeated.

They needed a blocked field goal with 4 seconds left to defeat Pittsburgh and a late miracle to overcome Miami.

And they struggled to put away Indiana and Iowa.

Paterno said he thinks they've been worn out.

"I said, 'You guys get caught up in your studies, get some sleep.' I think we have been a tired football team. I said, 'Get some sleep, get away from people,' " he said.

But Derek Fox, a Lions safety from Akron, Ohio, said they're treating it like any other week, while in previous seasons, they've put Ohio State "up on a pedestal."

"It is a big week," Fox said. "But this year, myself and this whole team, we're taking a different approach.

"Sometimes, we put too much emphasis on this game."

Buckeyes coach John Cooper, facing a third loss, is playing different mind games than Paterno.

He said Monday that in an even match, Ohio State couldn't beat the Lions - sending his team into a lather.

"John's been in this business a long time," Paterno said. "I think John's just trying to get an edge for his team, that's all."

10-13-99