Surrounded by friends and family after Saturday's remarkable win, it appeared that Joe Paterno was finally allowing himself to revel in the moment.

During the game, if No. 324 was on Paterno's mind, it didn't show. He approached the game against Ohio State just as he approached each of his 420 previous contests.

"He was at ease," said wide receiver Tony Johnson. "He really didn't say too much. He realized we were out there doing the right things and making plays."

Penn State made just enough plays to defeat Ohio State, 29-27, and to give their legendary coach his historic, record-breaking victory. Although neither Paterno nor his players said they placed any emphasis on the record at any time during the season, it was clear they were just as proud as their 74-year-old coach.

"You know that this is one of those moments that'll go down in Penn State history," said defensive end Michael Haynes.

Ohio State didn't make it easy for Paterno to surpass Bear Bryant. The Buckeyes scored on the first play of their first possession, then on the second play of their first possession of the second half.

In fact, to grab the historic 'W', the Lions had to overcome an 18-point deficit. But they had a steady hand at the controls with freshman quarterback Zack Mills, and an even calmer Paterno pacing the sideline.

"After they scored and we went down (27-9), he said it's going to be that much more fun to come back," said quarterback Zack Mills. "That just shows his mentality."

Paterno admitted that his decision to kick an extra point to put the Lions up two instead of three was a mental blunder — "I almost blew it," he said later — but otherwise out-coached his counterpart, Ohio State's Jim Tressel.

Penn State's players have been saying that the key to the team's turnaround has been the assertion of Paterno and his coaching staff that the Lions are the midst of a new season, one that started with the win at Northwestern and continued Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

The fact that the Lions were able to get their coach the win at home made the afternoon even more special.

"We wanted to win it for him at home in front of his family and fans," said linebacker Ron Graham. "He's been a great person to be around."