SAN ANTONIO — Joe Paterno's 500th game as Penn State coach ended the way most have: with JoePa on top.

Evan Royster broke a tie with a 38-yard touchdown run, Deon Butler caught a debatable 30-yard TD pass and Penn State erased an early 14-point deficit to beat Texas A&M 24-17 on Saturday night at the Alamo Bowl.

Paterno, college football's leader in bowl appearances (34), led the Nittany Lions (9-4) in a thriller that brought him his record 23rd postseason win. The 81-year-old coach now has 372 career victories, one behind Florida State's Bobby Bowden for the most in major college football.

Butler graduate Tyurell Sales had two solo tackles, four assists and a quarterback sack in the game.

PITTSBURGH— The Steelers will host the Jacksonville Jaguars at 8:30 p.m. Saturdsy in the wild0-card round of the AFCplayoffs.The Jaguars are the side the higher-seeded teams don't want to play. They beat the Steelers 29-22 in Pittsburgh on Dec. 16, part of a run of six wins in seven games that ended Sunday when they played backups and lost in Houston. Backup QB Quinn Gray threw four TD passes as David Garrard sat and six starters were inactive, including running back Fred Taylor.The Steelers also sat starters, notably injured QB Ben Roethlisberger in Baltimore, where they lost 27-21 to the Ravens, who broke a nine-game losing streak.

PITTSBURGH — Penguins forward Gary Roberts broke his left leg while tangling awkwardly with Buffalo's Tim Connolly midway through the second period of Pittsburgh's 2-0 win Saturday night.As Connolly fell in the left circle in Buffalo's end, the 41-year-old Roberts went down with him and struck his left leg hard on the ice, breaking his fibula.A stretcher was brought out but Roberts did not use it, limping off the ice with assistance.Roberts was honored before the game for recently scoring his 900th career point. Roberts has three goals and 12 assists in 37 games this season, the oldest player on one of the league's youngest teams.

SHREVEPORT, La. — Nick Saban made Alabama a winner again.Behind John David Wilson's passing and a defense bent nearly to the breaking point, the Crimson Tide beat Colorado 30-24 in the Independence Bowl on Sunday night. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak and kept Alabama from chalking up two losing seasons in a row.Wilson completed 13 of his first 15 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns as the Tide raced to a 27-0 lead.