Penn State football coach Joe Paterno did more than pay his usual lip service to an opponent at his weekly press conference.

Aside from calling Michigan State a talented football team, he also said he's pulling for Jeff Smoker, the Spartans indefinitely suspended quarterback who has admitted to battling substance abuse.

While Paterno made it very clear he doesn't know all the facts in Smoker's situation and wouldn't want to tell Michigan State how to run a football team, he also said he hopes Smoker gets another chance at playing college football, if not this season, then next, presumably under a new coach.

"I have said many times around here youth is a disease and I think it can be cured," Paterno said. "I think Jeff just got caught up in some things ... knowing Jeff, his family and his background, I hope he gets another chance."

Part of Paterno's interest in the Smoker case stems from the parallels that can be drawn between it and that of Rashard Casey, his starting quarterback in 2000 who played with charges of assaulting a police officer looming over his head.

"I felt the same way with Rishard Casey a couple of years ago," Paterno said. "Casey's situation was a different one than Smoker, but I didn't want Casey to be crucified in the press."

Above all, Paterno seems most interested in Smoker getting a second chance now that the Manheim, Pa. native has said he hopes to return to the team next season.

"We are leaning over backwards to make sure the snipers get a fair shake, that is the American tradition," Paterno said. "I think we owe that to some people who do a lot less than go out and shoot people."

Anything for a win, but not a trophy.

Even with tailback Larry Johnson piling up yards at a record setting rate, Paterno stopped short of saying he would keep giving the ball to his workhorse back Saturday if Johnson had 2,000 yards for the season in sight. Johnson already owns the single season and the single game rushing records and another strong showing would surely help Johnson in the eyes of Heisman trophy voters.

While Paterno didn't say he would give the ball to Johnson to pad his stats, he never said he wouldn't.

"We are going to try to win the football game," Paterno said. "We have a whole mess of seniors that are going to be out there for the last time in Beaver Stadium and I think we owe it to all of them to make sure we don't do anything silly."

Gallows door

Once again effigy's are swinging from Paterno's doorknob, only this time, a referee isn't the only victim -- now, a doll of Paterno is dangling as well.

Once again, Paterno didn't delve into his new decorations, but he did drop a hint as to how they might have gotten there.

"It was put up there by somebody very close to me," Paterno said. "You've got to have a laugh sometimes."

Paterno couldn't have been talking about his wife, Sue, who legend has it once painted the Nittany Lion shrine Syracuse orange to get her husband's troop fired up for a homecoming game, could he?

And so on and so forth

Paterno said he hopes linebackers LaMar Stewart and Gino Capone, both of whom missed the Indiana game with injuries, will be ready to play against Michigan State. However, he added that neither has had enough practice time of late to regain their starting spots.