Maybe it's just a coincidence that the toughest stretch of Joe Paterno's career arrives as the hourglass is about to turn over on his 78th year.

Or maybe not.

After just one losing season in his first 34 at Penn State, Paterno was guaranteed his fourth in the last five following a 21-10 beating Saturday at Ohio State. During that run, the Nittany Lions have lost not just their teeth, but their aura. By now, it's fair to ask whether they're likely to regain either as long as Paterno remains in charge.

Last season, skeptics doubted his play-calling and clock-management skills, as well as whether a coach who defined the term "old school" could maintain discipline on a squad filled out by the "me-first" generation. Despite a 3-9 finish, Penn State's administration gave him a four-year contract extension, hoping to soothe critics as well as recruits by making it clear that JoePa would be around for a while. Already, the deal has had the opposite effect.

Paterno keeps saying, "We're not that far off," but there is nothing to substantiate that, and no one who has the coach's ear seems inclined to pass the message along. It's increasingly apparent that Penn State can't score enough to be competitive in the Big Ten, can't win on the road and can no longer take anybody in the conference for granted.

A few weeks ago, even as the offensive problems continued to mount - Penn State averaged fewer than seven points per game in five losses under Zach Mills - Paterno insisted that had Robinson been playing, the Nittany Lions would have beaten Wisconsin, Minnesota and Purdue.

Asked what evidence that was based on, the coach simply said, "I have coached great football players for 55 years. If I tell you that Michael Robinson is one of the best football players I have ever coached and one of the best in the country, don't question me."

And just last week, when the available evidence on Robinson suggested otherwise, and the Nittany Lions' sorry record practically begged for freshman Anthony Morelli to get his shot, Paterno insisted the youngster wasn't adequately prepared to face Ohio State.

When a writer asked, "Why not?" Paterno replied, "He's not adequately prepared."

Asked whether Morelli knew the plays, Paterno said again, "He's not adequately prepared."

The Nittany Lions have games left against Northwestern, Indiana and Michigan State, and rather than worry about winning those, it would serve the program better to find out as soon as possible if quarterbacks coach - and Paterno's son - Jay Paterno can make certain Morelli is "adequately prepared" to face the future.

After all, it's one thing for JoePa, who practically built the program from scratch, won two national championships and personally donated $4 million, to feel a sense of entitlement. It's quite another when his kid starts feeling the same way.