Triumphant return for Paterno

Penn State welcomed Joe Paterno back to the sidelines with a suffocating show of defense.

Linebacker Sean Lee led the furious defense Saturday with seven tackles, a forced fumble and a sack, and Anthony Morelli threw for three touchdowns and a career-high 295 yards as the 17th-ranked Nittany Lions routed Florida International 59-0 in State College, Pa.

It was a happy homecoming for the 80-year-old Paterno in his first appearance on the sidelines since breaking his left leg last year at Wisconsin.

“It felt like your dad was gone,” receiver Derrick Williams said about Paterno’s absence. “It showed today how important it is he’s on the sideline.”

Wearing his trademark black sneakers and rolled-up khakis, Paterno jogged out of the tunnel to lead his team on the field with his face plastered on the giant stadium video screens. The 107,000-plus packed into sold-out Beaver Stadium cheered them on.

Paterno hoped off-season rehabilitation and long walks during his annual vacation at the beach would get him ready to return to the sideline. He said he wasn’t sure until several weeks ago that he was going to be able to run on to the field.

“I felt good about my ability. I got tired … but I’ll get stronger as I go along,” Paterno said.

“That felt good to be able to do that whole thing.”

Lee, fellow linebacker Dan Connor and the rest of the defense then made sure Paterno got a win in the opener of his record-breaking 42nd season as head coach.

The win improved Paterno to 35-7 in season openers and early in the fourth quarter, with the final score already posted, fans chanted “Joe Paterno!”

“He looks pretty healthy,” new FIU coach Mario Cristobal said about Paterno. “He looks like he might be able to play if he had to.”

(3) West Virginia 62, Western Michigan 24: At Morgantown, W.Va., Pat White threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores, and Steve Slaton scored four times as the Mountaineers routed the Broncos.

It was the Mountaineers’ highest-scoring game since an 80-7 win over Rutgers in 2001.

(4) Texas 21, Arkansas State 13: At Austin, Texas, Colt McCoy threw two first-quarter touchdown passes and the Longhorns stumbled through a sloppy season-opening win over the Indians.

The Longhorns were overwhelming favorites, but they didn’t have this one wrapped up until Brandon Foster recovered an onside kick with less than a minute to play.

(6) Florida 49, Western Kentucky 3: At Gainesville, Fla., Tim Tebow threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score, and the Gators opened defense of their national championship with a victory over the Hilltoppers in a game that was called with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter because of lightning.

Tebow, making his first career start, led Florida to touchdowns in its first four possessions. He completed his first six passes for 156 yards and two TDs, proving he can be as dynamic with his arm as he can his legs.

(8) Oklahoma 79, North Texas 10: At Norman, Okla., freshman DeMarco Murray became the first Oklahoma player to score five touchdowns in his debut, and redshirt freshman Sam Bradford threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns in his first start as the Sooners romped past the Mean Green.

Bradford needed only 32 seconds to notch his first career touchdown pass, a 15-yarder to tight end Jermaine Gresham as he slinged the ball along the line of scrimmage for three straight plays and allowed his receivers to run for big gains.

Murray added four touchdown runs by the end of the first half.

Oklahoma ended up with its most lopsided win in a season opener since it beat New Mexico State 73-3 to start the 1989 season and its second-highest point total since 1919.

(11) Ohio State 38, Youngstown State 6: At Columbus, Ohio, Todd Boeckman played well in his first start replacing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith and the Buckeyes made just about all the big plays in beating the Penguins of the new Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA).

Ohio State’s Jim Tressel was the coach at Youngstown State for 15 years and led the Penguins to four I-AA titles before taking over the Buckeyes in 2001.

(13) Georgia 35, Oklahoma State 14: At Athens, Ga., Thomas Brown ran for two first-quarter touchdowns, Matthew Stafford threw two second-half scoring passes and the Bulldogs shut out the Cowboys in the second half en route to a victory.

Stafford, a sophomore beginning his first full season as the starting quarterback, was 18 for 24 passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

(18) Auburn 23, Kansas State 13: At Auburn, Ala., Brandon Cox threw a touchdown pass to Gabe McKenzie with 2:01 remaining and Antonio Coleman returned a fumble for a score moments later to give the Tigers a win over the Wildcats.

Quentin Groves sacked KSU’s Josh Freeman, forcing the fumble that Coleman returned 34 yards for a TD.

(21) Arkansas 46, Troy 26: At Fayetteville, Ark., Darren McFadden started his Heisman Trophy campaign in style, running for 151 yards and a touchdown and also throwing for a score as the Razorbacks thumped the Trojans.

McFadden, last year’s Heisman runner-up, helped the Razorbacks pull away in the third quarter. Arkansas led only 23-17 at halftime, but Felix Jones scored on a 44-yard run and McFadden tossed a 42-yard touchdown pass to Crosby Tuck to make it 37-17.

(22) TCU 27, Baylor 0: At Fort Worth, Texas, Andy Dalton threw for 205 yards and a touchdown in his first college start, and Justin Watts and Ryan Christian ran for scores as the Horned Frogs won their ninth straight game with a victory over the Bears.

The Horned Frogs gave up 204 yards before halftime, but held Baylor to just 78 yards in the second half. TCU plays three of its former instate Southwest Conference rivin the opening month of the season.