PHILADELPHIA — With another milestone in reach, Joe Paterno is again the top story at Penn State this week — no matter how hard he tries to downplay it.

JoePa can get his 400th victory Saturday against Northwestern.

"I'm trying not to get involved in that. I don't go home and think about what we've done, I go home and worry about what we have to get done," Paterno said Tuesday at Beaver Stadium.

Too late. This latest potential achievement in Paterno's remarkable career is being already touted on ESPN promotions for Saturday's game, among other outlets.

Paterno could become the first FBS coach to reach 400 wins and the third coach overall, behind Eddie Robinson (408) at I-AA Grambling State and John Gagliardi (476) at St. John's, Minn.

Paterno's spent 45 years on the sideline at Penn State, plus 16 as an assistant in Happy Valley.

In typical gruff fashion, Paterno shot down repeated questions about the milestone. After a third query, about what 400 wins might mean for the program instead of himself, he shook his head in annoyance.

"I'm only concerned about these kids getting some wins while they're in college. They're only here for four years. I've been (here) four, plus a couple more," Paterno said. He turns 84 next month.

While the injury-ravaged defense still needs a lot of work — the Nittany Lions have uncharacteristically allowed at least 423 yards of total offense to each of their last three foes — the offense has rebounded after a so-so start.

They're doing it with freshman starter Rob Bolden mainly on the sideline. He hasn't played since the second quarter of the win over Minnesota two weeks ago after getting knocked out with a concussion.

Sophomore backup Matt McGloin played respectably against the Gophers, and Paterno gave the former walk-on for his first career start last week at Michigan. While Bolden was cleared to play, Paterno said Tuesday he was being extra cautious to ensure the freshman's health.

McGloin threw for 250 yards and a touchdown, plus had a 1-yard TD plunge, while Bolden watched in uniform from the sideline.

On Tuesday, Paterno said Bolden and McGloin would compete this week for the starting job.