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Penn State downs A&M

Penn State coach Joe Paterno advises quarterback Daryll Clark during Saturday's Alamo Bowl. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Genaro C. Armas Associated Press
Penn State coach Joe Paterno advises quarterback Daryll Clark during Saturday's Alamo Bowl. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

SAN ANTONIO – With Penn State down two touchdowns early, victory for Joe Paterno in his 500th game looked bleak.

JoePa said his confidence never wavered, and the Nittany Lions ended the Alamo Bowl like most of Paterno’s 499 other games: with a Penn State win.

Evan Royster broke a tie with a 38-yard touchdown run, Deon Butler caught a debatable 30-yard TD pass and Penn State erased an early two-touchdown deficit to beat Texas A&M 24-17 on Saturday night at the Alamo Bowl.

Paterno, college football’s leader in bowl appearances (34), led the Nittany Lions (9-4) in a thriller that brought him his record 23rd postseason win.

The 81-year-old coach now has 372 career victories, one behind Florida State’s Bobby Bowden for the most in major college football.

“When you’re down 14-0, you don’t feel great,” Paterno said. “I knew we had work ahead of us, but I knew we could get it done.”

Penn State’s Rodney Kinlaw ran for 143 yards on 21 carries and Royster finished with 65 on nine carries.

Nervously pacing the sideline in his standard khakis and black sneakers, Paterno couldn’t breathe easy until the clock ticked down to zero in a roller coaster of a game.

With the Nittany Lions up 24-17, Texas A&M’s Stephen McGee led a 15-play drive to the Penn State 2 before losing 4 yards on fourth-and-goal after slipping on an option play with about eight minutes left.

McGee said the defense appeared to have snuffed out the play anyway.

“That’s just tough. You get one yard and I’m thinking maybe we could get the win,” McGee said.

Another Texas A&M (7-6) drive ended with a punt with 2 minutes left, and Penn State ran out the clock.

The Nittany Lions secured their third straight bowl victory and spoiled Gary Darnell’s one-game stint as interim head coach for Texas A&M.

Darnell took over Nov. 23, when Dennis Franchione resigned, and A&M has hired Mike Sherman, offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans, to take over next season.

McGee completed 19 of 31 passes for 164 yards and an interception, and ran for 34 yards.

Down two scores and in need of a change of momentum early in the second quarter, Penn State went for it on fourth-and-4 from the A&M 30.

Anthony Morelli threw a wobbly pass to Butler, who had position inside on cornerback Arkeith Brown. The ball sailed just long of Butler, who fell forward in the end zone and appeared to catch the ball just before it hit the ground. It was a close call on whether Butler totally secured the ball as he landed. A replay review confirmed the touchdown that cut A&M’s lead to 14-7.

Maurice Evans then forced a Goodson fumble on the next drive that was recovered by Penn State’s A.J. Wallace. Goodson had 65 yards on 14 carries.

Clark, a seldom-used backup, then scrambled to the end zone from 11 yards out on the next play and the game was tied.

Penn State had scored 17 straight points to take the lead before Matt Szymanski kicked a 38-yard field goal for A&M to tie it at 17 with 3:57 in the third quarter.

The Nittany Lions took the lead for good on the next drive. Morelli connected with Derrick Williams for a 21-yard reception to the Aggie 41 on a third-and-6 before Royster burst up the middle for the decisive score for plays later.