By Andrew Bagnato

Chicago Tribune

The whispers began two years ago, as Penn State staggered to its second losing record in Joe Paterno's long tenure. The volume grew last autumn when the Nittany Lions put together back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the Depression.

The talk went something like this:

The game has passed him by. He doesn't recruit effectively. He can't connect with the younger generation. He ought to step down for the good of the program. Can't he see how he's embarrassing himself.

But midway through Paterno's 37th season, the talk has changed. Suddenly the winningest coach in Division I-A history isn't as out of date as his eyewear might indicate.

"Last year we knew it wasn't the coaches, it was the way we were playing," sophomore tailback Mike Gasparato said. "Joe hasn't lost anything."

That much was evident in the Nittany Lions' 34-31 victory over then-No. 19 Wisconsin on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium, which left the Nittany Lions (4-1, 1-1) right in the middle of the Big Ten race. The 331st triumph of Paterno's career lifted the Nittany Lions five rungs to No. 15 in the AP poll.

Penn State is 9-3 since last Oct. 20, when it broke a four-game losing streak in a dramatic comeback at Northwestern. Two of the losses -- at Illinois last year and against Iowa two weeks ago -- came on the opponents' final possession. The other came by six points at Virginia.

"You remember last year, he kept saying we have a really good football team," senior defensive end Michael Haynes said.

Not bad for a fogy who was supposed to be stuck in the past, who once endorsed golf balls "guaranteed to go straight up the middle three out of four times."

"It's the same Joe," Haynes said. "The difference is, we're executing on offense and on defense."

Against Wisconsin, Penn State threw the ball 37 times and ran it 36.

That's not conservative. That's balance. In the 21st Century, the best football teams run as well as they pass, and defenses scramble to adjust.

"The guy surprises everybody and surprises us with the stuff he's doing with our offense," senior guard Tyler Lenda said.

At one time, Paterno may have thought quarterbacks should leave the pocket only on a stretcher. But he signed the nimble Zack Mills -- Pitt was the only other Division I-A school to give the Marylander a look -- and has allowed him to roam afield. Mills, who leads the Big Ten in total offense at 279.8 yards per game, accounted for 301 yards against the Badgers.

"Since I've been here we've put in the shotgun and the option -- two things that nobody thought we'd see -- and they've been working real well for us," Lenda said.

As Paterno watched his team fidget with a fourth-quarter lead over Wisconsin, he told offensive coordinator Fran Ganter, "We have to play like we're behind."

And that's why Paterno allowed his kicker, Robbie Gould, to talk him into trying a 51-yard field goal with seven minutes to play when a punt might have been safer.

The kick turned out to be the winning margin when the Badgers scored a touchdown with 77 seconds to play.

Paterno, who turns 76 in December, has said he'll go on coaching as long as he's physically fit and enjoying himself. As his sprint after the officials Sept. 28 showed, Paterno is in better shape than many men half his age.

"He's just hanging in there," offensive lineman Gus Felder said with a grin. "In practice he's doing the same thing, running around. You guys saw how fast he was."

Paterno has managed to stay in touch with his players. Last week he sensed some players were pointing fingers after the heartbreaking loss to Iowa, in which the Nittany Lions roared back from a 22-point deficit in the final eight minutes only to lose in overtime.

"Joe just nipped it in the bud before it got out of hand," Gasparato said.

By the end of the week the Nittany Lions had regained their edge. They went into one of the country's more hostile venues and handed Wisconsin, a Rose Bowl contender, its first loss. Next up is Michigan in Ann Arbor. And in two weeks Penn State goes to Columbus for a showdown with Ohio State. No matter how those games turn out, Paterno shouldn't have to listen to questions about whether he has lost his touch, though they're inevitable.

"Everybody always questions Joe," Haynes said. "If we're not winning national championships, it's, 'Joe's over the hill. Joe's overrated.'

"As long as we in the program believe in Joe, Joe will continue to coach."