WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- After coaching the entirety of Penn State's win against Purdue from the press box, an achy Joe Paterno said he will decide on a week-by-week basis where he will coach.

The 81-year-old coach has been bothered by an arthritic right leg this year. He spent the second half of the Sept. 20 win against Temple coaching from the press box, but returned to the field for the entirety of the Nittany Lions' game against Illinois on Sept. 27.

"Some days, it doesn't bother me much at all," Paterno said of his leg. "I get a little pain in it, but it doesn't bother me a lot. I've taken more pills in the last two months than I've taken all my life."

Paterno limped to midfield before Saturday's game to greet Joe Tiller, Purdue's retiring coach and Paterno's good friend. About a half-hour before the noon kickoff, Paterno walked slowly off the field. Paterno spotted receivers coach Mike McQueary and pointed up, an indicator of where the coach would watch the game.

After the game, Paterno took strong hold of a podium to offer support. He received fan support moments later when he climbed into a white Kia Sedona minivan as hundreds of fans noticed the coach and began to chant his name.

Paterno twice responded with a smile and brief wave as he waited for a police escort. Later, he boarded the university's plane and left ahead of the team to get home early to begin preparing for Wisconsin in addition to resting his leg, Penn State sports information director Jeff Nelson said.

Nelson said Paterno also left ahead of the team Sept. 13 at Syracuse, Penn State's only other road game. Paterno has taken the university plane before this season "on occasion," Nelson said.

Paterno has walked with a slight limp all season, and Saturday was no different.

"Today was a tough day, especially in the morning," Paterno said.

Paterno all but ruled out surgery any time soon, saying "I'm not letting anyone get near me with a knife."

On the field, players have avoided Paterno's ailing leg as a distraction.

"We're here for one reason," safety Anthony Scirrotto said. "That's to play a football game. It's a business. We're on a business trip. Whether he's on the sideline or not, we're doing the same things."

Off the field, though, Paterno's right leg creates uncertainty and poses questions about his longevity.

"We're a little worried," quarterback Daryll Clark said. "His leg's been bothering him for a little while now, but he's still there at practice doing what he can."

Paterno's declining mobility, paired with the absence of a written contract beyond this season, leaves the coach's future cloudy, though Penn State President Graham Spanier admitted that's not the focus right now.

"I don't know if it's a health setback," Spanier said of Paterno's leg at halftime. "It's just an injury. He's coping with it real well, I think. It's not something we're talking about right now. We're just working on the season, and so far, so good."

On Saturday, Paterno couldn't say the same about his leg.

"I'm playing it day by day right now," he said. "Literally, day by day."