By Marc Weiszer

mweiszer@centredaily.com

UNIVERSITY PARK -- The story, by now, has been embellished. Stretched like taffy. Tweaked enough that you might think Mike Gasparato was a New Year's baby born right there on the field at the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., with Penn State's Todd Blackledge and Southern Cal's Marcus Allen helping to bring him into this world.

Gasparato was actually born 60 hours earlier on Dec. 30, 1981 in Scottsdale, Ariz. Jean Gasparato went into labor and Nick Gasparato, then a Penn State assistant offensive line coach, knocked on assistant Fran Ganter's door to alert him and Ganter drove the expectant parents to the hospital.

"People come up to me and ask me if I was born right there at the game," Mike Gasparato said. "It's carried with me for a long time. Even the young guys coming in have come up to me and said 'Hey, were you born at the Fiesta Bowl?'"

Gasparato's arrival in a Penn State uniform may have come on Saturday in the Nittany Lions' 34-31 victory over Wisconsin.

Starting tailback Larry Johnson pulled a hamstring in the third quarter and Gasparato, a seldom-used redshirt sophomore, was pressed into action.

"You don't have time to be nervous, you don't have time to feel pressure," Gasparato said. "Especially in a big game like last week you've got to go in there and perform. ... I haven't played in a football game in three years, except for at the end of the La. Tech game and just a few plays in some other games. I was ready to go."

Gasparato responded with an important catch on a fourth-quarter drive that led to Robbie Gould's 51-yard field goal and a 31-23 Penn State lead.

On first-and-25 at the Penn State 39-yard line, Gasparato came out of the backfield and snagged a pass over the middle for a 25-yard gain and a first down.

"I think it was a big play because I kind of showed the coaches they can rely on me to make some plays like that," said Gasparato, who has 10 rushes for 34 yards this year. "It definitely was a confidence booster."

Penn State coach Joe Paterno said he expects Johnson will be "fine," for Saturday's game against 13th-ranked Michigan, but Paterno, who voiced his displeasure in the preseason with Johnson's backups, sounded like he had gained a measure of confidence in Gasparato.

"Mike Gasparato I thought did really well considering he had to go in there and it was the first game he really was under some pressure," Paterno said. "Mike caught the ball coming out of the backfield and made a nice catch on that one."

Nick Gasparato coached the offensive line in 1980-81 and from 1984-88 so while others may have been sitting in front of a TV watching Burt and Ernie on Sesame Street, Mike grew up around big, burly linemen in locker rooms, guys like Steve Wisniewski and Ed Monaghan.

Gasparato returned to Tempe for the 1986 team's trip to the Fiesta Bowl when linebacker Pete Giftopoulos picked off a Vinny Testaverde pass at the 1-yard line to preserve a 14-10 victory over Miami for the national title.

"I couldn't see much of the game because everyone was standing up the whole time," Gasparato said. "I do remember being able to pick out my Dad out there wearing his white sweater after Giftopoulos picked that ball up. That's something that will stick in my mind forever."

Gasparato remembers trips to Disney World when Penn State played Clemson in the Citrus Bowl. He remembers tailgating. He even wore No. 32 growing up because Blair Thomas was his favorite running back.

"I decided to be a part of that -- putting on the same uniform that all the guys I used to look up to used to wear," said Gasparato, who played in high school in Irmo, S.C. and considered southern schools like Clemson.

Gasparato's parents, Penn State graduates who are both from the western Pennsylvania town of Jeannette, moved to State College when Mike was a freshman.

Nick Gasparato is an offensive assistant at State College Area High and also works for Coaches Illustrated. Mike's brother, Greg, is a sophomore free safety for State College.

Mike Gasparato is so ingrained in the Penn State way that when asked about Johnson's injury status, he knew the proper response: "We don't really comment on the health of the team. ... All I can tell you if they need me Saturday I'll be ready to go."

He's ready to help turn around Penn State after two losing seasons. It's a little more personal to Gasparato.

"You want to get it back to the way it should be, the way you used to know things," Gasparato said. "The way Penn State's been."