STATE COLLEGE — Perhaps Joe Paterno will press a pair of binoculars against his smoky glasses to get a better view of the field, or lean over and yell in the ears of his Penn State assistants to complain about play-calling or a blown coverage.

At least the 79-year-old head coach will be watching his Nittany Lions on Saturday at Beaver Stadium for the first time since breaking his left leg two weeks ago.

Instead of nervously pacing the sideline while Penn State hosts Michigan State in the regular-season finale for each squad, Paterno plans to follow doctors' orders, stay off his feet and watch the action from the press box with his coaching staff.

"We are assuming that is where he would be, but you never know with him where he might end up," defensive coordinator Tom Bradley joked.

A win for Penn State (7-4, 4-3 Big Ten) likely sends them to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 1.

Victory for Michigan State (4-7, 1-6) allows departing head coach John L. Smith to end his four-year career in East Lansing on a bright note.

Both head coaches have tried to shift the spotlight this week away from their respective predicaments.

A smiling Smith at his last game-week news conference on Tuesday said he wanted the Spartans "to play for themselves and play for their own pride right now. ... Let's just go play the game for the fun of playing the game."

The last several weeks have been anything but fun for each coach, though for different reasons.

Smith found out two weeks ago that Michigan State didn't want him back in 2007.

Paterno had surgery to repair a shinbone and two knee ligaments in a left leg damaged after getting leveled by two players during a sideline collision on Nov. 4 at Wisconsin. Paterno missed last week's game against Temple — his first absence from the sidelines as a head coach since 1977 — to focus on his recovery.

Doctors have said Paterno is progressing well, though the coach will need to stay off his feet for at least one more month.