Through good and bad, Coach Joe Paterno is always defending his players and program. After his team's conference win over the Illinois Illini it wasn't too hard not too go to bat for them this weekend.

"They're not bad kids,;sometimes they do dumb things, but they're going to pay for it. The NFL is cracking down on anyone with drugs now. I feel sorry for them," Coach Joe Paterno said after two players, Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma, were suspended from his team for drug charges.

After Saturday night's primetime showdown at Beaver Stadium, Paterno was singing the same tune about his players.

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"They're a good bunch of kids to coach, they seem to have a good feeling for each other. I can clown around with them and have some fun with them and they don't go overboard and they listen and they're doing good, they're doing good," said Paterno.

Defensive back Anthony Sciritto said about Paterno, "We got a little Italian thing going on. He just likes to have fun and play around with everyone. We have a lot of fun. You can't be too tense or take things too seriously, you gotta get ready. You gotta play lose out there, that's how you play as a good team."

It probably doesn't hurt that the Nittany Lions made a nice jump in the rankings this week; they're sitting pretty at No. 6 and undefeated as they get ready to travel to Purdue.