The race for the starting quarterback spot on the Penn State football team is open, but it isn't wide open.

Though after the bowl game, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said that the spot would be up for competition between Zack Mills, who will be a junior, and Michael Robinson, who will be a sophomore, Paterno said yesterday that Mills still has the edge going into spring practice.

"I think Zack Mills is the quarterback," Paterno said. "It's up to Michael Robinson to beat him out or even Chris Ganter. But I think when you go into spring practice and you have a guy that has done as well as Zack Mills has done for us in a lot of very tough games, I think someone's got to beat him out."

Mills was the starter throughout last season while Robinson was used in a variety of roles to keep teams off balance. Robinson's quarterbacking experience was mostly limited to situations in which the Nittany Lions wanted to run the option, or late in games in which the outcome had been decided.

However, with Mills struggling in the Capital One Bowl, Paterno brought Robinson into the game late in the third quarter. He completed two of three passes for 31 yards, and led the squad to a field goal that gave the Lions a 9-7 lead on one of the two drives he spent exclusively under center.

Though Robinson will have to beat out Mills to get out the quarterback job, Paterno said he would not try to move the talented multi-back to another position in spring practice.

"We're not going to do anything except give Michael the chance to be first-string quarterback," Paterno said. "I think we owe that to him ... We may do a little gimmick with him just to have a little fun every once in a while, but I think right now he's a quarterback and he deserves to have a chance to prove he's the best one we've got."

Hangin' em up in 2006?

In classic Paterno fashion, the 76-year old coach shook off questions about an interview with a television station in Virginia during a January recruiting trip in which he said he might consider retiring after the 2006 football season.

"You go into a high school and you don't realize you've got a television camera on you," he said.

Paterno said he had been "clowning around" with the reporter after he had met with financial advisors trying to plan his retirement, whenever it may begin. He said he told the advisors that he wanted to coach at least four more years, and that he had them come up with figures for retirement dates between 2006 and 2011.

"If I can hang in there until 2011, I'll tell ya, I might have a Cadillac like Rene [Portland] has," Paterno said, joking with the Penn State women's basketball coach who was waiting to hold her own press conference.

Neumyer decides to move on

Safety Jesse Neumyer has decided not to return to the team this season because of knee problems that he has suffered through since high school. Each of his last two high school football seasons were cut short by knee injuries, and though he would be cleared to play this season, there is concern that he would end up with an arthritic condition in his knee, according to Paterno. Paterno said that because Neumyer had no aspirations of playing football beyond the college level, he decided to give up his last two years of eligibility. Neumyer, who is an outstanding student, will graduate in the summer and hopes to begin work on an MBA.

Neumyer played mostly on special teams last season, registering four tackles.

Tidbits

Cornerback Alan Zemaitis and safety Yaacov Yisrael are both being limited in practice and winter workouts because of offseason injuries. Zemaitis suffered a laceration on his head in a car accident, and Yisrael is still recovering from the ACL tear he suffered in August of last year ... Linebackers Sam Ruhe and Scott Paxson will both get work on the defensive line in the spring with three starters gone on the line and last season's linebacking corps returning ... Wide receiver Ernie Terrell, who ran indoor track in the winter, will be focusing on football during the spring. Paterno said he would allow him to run track on off days, but said Terrell would be at spring practice ... Offensive tackles and tight ends coach Bill Kenney will be limited in his ability to help the team in spring practice. Kenney broke his leg in an offseason skiing accident.