In 2001, Penn State’s

IN 2001, PENN STATE’S Joe Paterno proved to be one of the best college football coaches ever.

Nearly 110,000 fans packed Beaver Stadium to watch Penn State and Ohio State, hoping to witness a historic scene. Paterno, Penn State’s 74-year-old coach, needed one more victory to bypass the late Paul “Bear” Bryant as the NCAA’s winningest major college football coach.

Early in the third quarter, Paterno’s prospects appeared bleak. Ohio State’s Derek Ross intercepted a pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown, putting the Buckeyes in front 27–9. However, freshman quarterback Zack Mills quickly righted Penn State with a 69-yard touchdown romp. Later in the third quarter, he connected with Tony Johnson for 26 yards to narrow the margin to 27–22. As the contest entered the final quarter, Mills found running back Eric McCoo for a 14-yard touchdown, and the Nittany Lions surged in front 29–27.

A missed Penn State field goal gave Ohio State a final scoring opportunity. The Buckeyes moved from their own 31-yard line to the Penn State 21. But Paterno’s defense held and forced an Ohio State field goal. At the snap, 330-pound Jimmy Kennedy leaped in the air and batted Mike Nugent’s attempt away with his left hand. The Nittany Lions ran out the clock and gave Paterno his 324th career victory with the 29–27 win.

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POINT Joe Paterno wrote his name in the record book. But he also wrote his name elsewhere on campus at the new Paterno library wing. He and his wife, Sue, donated $250,000 to the facility and cochaired the fund-raising campaign for the library dedicated in their honor on September 8, 2000. The Paternos supported the library because it’s the heart of a great university.

But as many books as the 490,000-square-foot Penn State library holds, it isn’t large enough to contain all that could be written describing what Jesus Christ did on earth. No library ever built is big enough. No library ever will be.

GOAL! Visit a local library. Check out and read a book on a subject that interests you. Praise God that there aren’t enough words or books to describe Christ’s glory.