Paterno has broken leg, knee ligament damage

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno broke his left leg and damaged a knee ligament when two players ran into him during the Nittany Lions’ loss to Wisconsin, and team officials said Sunday that surgery was being considered.

Paterno fractured the top of his tibia, or shin bone, on Saturday, according to team doctor Wayne Sebastianelli. The injury typically heals on its own with rehabilitation, though doctors and team officials were considering whether surgery would help the leg heal faster, said Guido D’Elia, director of communications for football.

Paterno had some ligament damage to the left knee, though the extent was unknown, assistant athletic director Jeff Nelson said.

Paterno, who turns 80 next month, was trying to maintain his normal routine while working from home on Sunday, reviewing tapes and getting ready for Saturday’s game at home against Temple.

There was no determination whether Paterno could return to the sideline for that game, or monitor his team from the coach’s box above the stands.

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Jeremy Young threw for 193 yards and three touchdowns to lead Southern Mississippi to a 42-21 victory over Memphis on Sunday night at Memphis, Tenn.

Memphis (1-8, 0-5 Conference USA) lost its seventh straight game, the first seven-game losing streak for the Tigers since 1986. Southern Mississippi (5-4, 3-2) ended a two-game losing streak.

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Tennessee starting running back Arian Foster and two other players were arrested early Sunday after Knoxville police were called to a fight at a nightclub.

Foster, safety Antonio Wardlow and fullback David Holbert were charged with disorderly conduct and underage consumption, police said. Wardlow also was charged with public intoxication. All three players are 20.

A number of Tennessee players were arrested before the 2005 season, which ended with a 5-6 mark. Eight players were arrested or cited between January and July 2005. Last summer, four Volunteers players were arrested, and one was dismissed from the team.

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Ohio State received all 65 first-place votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll to become the first unanimous No. 1 in three years.

The last team to sweep the media panel voting was Oklahoma on Nov. 30, 2003.