Joe Paterno had plenty to say during his weekly teleconference yesterday.

That will happen after a 2-5 start, a tough opponent Saturday in Illinois and not speaking to reporters last week.

As for the game, Paterno and the Nittany Lions still have a chance to qualify for a bowl game. But only if they win their remaining five games, which would give Paterno enough wins to surpass Bear Bryant as the all-time coaching victory leader in major collegiate football history.

Paterno did not talk about that yesterday, but he did speak at lengths about the Fighting Illini's talent and the tough task that lies ahead for Penn State -- among other topics.

"Illinois is a little better defensively than you would think," Paterno said. "Obviously, offensively they are outstanding. They have everybody back from last year.

They can run really well. They do a lot of the things that have given us trouble as far as they match up. I think they are a solid defensive football team."

Of the three Penn State students who received an anonymous threatening letter as an act of racism, at least one student is a Penn State football player.

Paterno was short on the specifics of the letter, which was also sent to a Penn State Board of Trustees member.

"I am aware that there has been some correspondence and we have alerted it as a normal type of thing," Paterno said. "Beyond that, how extensive it is or whether it is one player or not, I don't know."

Outside linebacker and special teamer Charwan Wood did not make the Minnesota trip. Paterno did not indicate if Wood would compete this week.

"We will play that week by week," Paterno said. "He did something that I really don't want to discuss. It is not a major break, but it is something that needed some disciplinary act."

Paterno did not hold his weekly press conference last week, but declined to elaborate on the issue he had with Wood during his four-question session with the media during the Big Ten Football Coaches Weekly Teleconference.

Wood, a sophomore, redshirted his first year on campus and was not enrolled in Penn State last year after an arrest. He was known as Neal Wood then.

Paterno has not visited yet visited Adam Taliaferro yet as the coach is recovering from a mild case of the flu. Paterno was supposed to visit Taliaferro Sunday.

Taliaferro has been recovering in Philadelphia's Magee Rehabilitation Hospital for the past two weeks following successful surgery for Taliaferro's bruised C-5 vertebra.

"He has great days and bad days," Paterno said. Monday "was a tough day for him. They are getting him to do so many things that are tough. His spirits are good."

About 800 Penn State students will show support for Taliaferro during this week's Homecoming football contest. The Lion Ambassadors will make a formation of 43, Taliaferro's number, in the Beaver Stadium stands above the south end zone adjacent to the student section. They will flood the "S" Zone with blue and white shirts with No. 43 on the front.

Penn State tight end Tony Stewart organized a team photo during practice with the Lions forming a No. 43. Paterno said it was quite a process to line up the players for the photograph.

"Surprisingly, it went very smoothly," Stewart said. "I thought it went real smooth -- a lot smoother than the coaches would have done it."

Bryant Johnson did not play much against Minnesota after he dropped a Rashard Casey pass in the first quarter. But expect more of Johnson this week.

With injuries to Bhawoh Jue, Bruce Branch, Taliaferro and Shawn Mayer, the Nittany Lions lack depth for the upcoming Homecoming contest against Illinois, thus moving Johnson to play ironman football.

"We robbed Peter to pay Paul," Paterno said. "We really have to make a statement that we really need to stop somebody. We really need some depth down there."

Johnson, a true sophomore who made his first collegiate start against Louisiana Tech, has made three catches for 35 yards, but has been sidelined after dropping passes. Johnson has practiced mostly as a wide receiver since the 25-16 shortcoming against the Golden Gophers.

"People have slumps," Paterno said. "Sometimes, they press too hard. Someday, Bryant Johnson will be an outstanding wideout. That's where we hope his future will be, but right now he has to help us out on both sides of the football and obviously until he catches the ball more consistently."

Johnson joins Branch and Titcus Pettigrew as former receivers in the defensive backfield. Pettigrew had a tendency for dropping passes when he played wideout, but he might have dropped his biggest pass -- a surefire interception -- against Purdue that perpetuated the game's final drive. But James Boyd thwarted Drew Brees' Hail Mary attempt to salvage the Lions' lone conference victory this season.

The bye week might have come at just the right time for the battled and bruised Lions. But Penn State still did not go unscathed.

Offensive linemen Jordan Caruso is out -- again. Caruso injured his left knee during

Thursday's practice and will miss the next two or three contests, but he might miss the rest of the season. Paterno said Caruso's anterior cruciate ligament is not torn, but he suffered a considerable injury.

It will be Caruso's second stint in khakis and sneakers this week along the sideline as he sat out the first two contests this season after Caruso suffered a fainting spell and missed the Lions' first two games this season.

It gets worse for the offensive line. Center Matt Schmitt has a strained hip and will not start this week. Schmitt had moved up to the center spot after he edged Francis Spano in practice leading up to Penn State's third game this year. And center Joe Iorio has not played after doctors diagnosed the walk-on player who started five games last season with mononucleosis.

That puts a starting offensive line of Gus Felder, Imani Bell, Kareem McKenzie, Joe Hartings and Eric Rickenbach, a redshirt sophomore who has served as the long snapper, at center.

"Eric is going to be a good football player," Paterno said. "He just hasn't played that much."

True freshman Chris McKelvy, who might be the head of Paterno's recruiting class, had been listed as a starter on the depth chart, but Paterno said he will not be on the first string. Fellow true freshman offensive lineman Nick Marmo might redshirt.

Branch and Jue are banged up and have not practiced much, but are expected to play as defensive backs. Wide receiver Eddie Drummond has been practicing despite a nagging injury.

"We just have too many people hurt to do some of the things we wanted to do," Paterno said.

The Lions' off week was a time for relaxation, a time for rest and a time to recover from bumps and bruises. It is Penn State's lone break during the season -- a season where Penn State played in an early game.

"The bye week helped us with some guys that we were able to do some work with," Paterno said.

With the bye week, Paterno had the luxury of watching conference action on his television set, instead of patrolling the sidelines.

What he saw: Minnesota knocked off then-No. 5 Ohio State in a battle of teams that beat Penn State. Wisconsin, hyped before the season's beginning, attained its first victory against Michigan State. Purdue, who lost to Penn State, handed Northwestern its first conference lost. Michigan rolled past Indiana. And Illinois stopped Iowa for attaining its second conference win this week.

What is up with Big Ten football? Not one team remains undefeated following the first four conference contests.

"They are pretty darn good," Paterno said. "I think they might have started slowly. There are different reasons for that. I don't think it is a question if they are mediocre. A lot of clubs are very equal with outstanding coaches.

"Everybody is right in it. There might be three of four clubs that are better than the rest. The other problem with the Big Ten is that every game is a tough, close football game. It's so tough to win on the road."

A reporter asked Paterno his thoughts on the impact on college football of former female kicker Heather Mercer's $2 million judgment against Duke after a court ruled gender was a factor in her release from the Blue Devils football team.

"I haven't got the slightest idea," Paterno said. "I don't even know what you are talking about. I absolutely do not know anything about it. I do not read the sports pages unless there is something in there like, 'Paterno did a great job last week.'

"And I haven't seen anything like that this year. I really don't want to get into that. I have enough problems of my own."