Penn State Coach Joe Paterno is 79. Florida State's Bobby Bowden, his off-the-field friend and on-the-field foe, is 76. It's ironic, and deeply satisfying, that two old football veterans should have relied so heavily on rookie players in the Orange Bowl on Tuesday night.

Most people in southwestern Pennsylvania probably are pleased with the way the game ended early yesterday morning: with a 26-23 Penn State victory on a 29-yard field goal during a triple-overtime period. One element that made the win even sweeter was to see how freshman kicker Kevin Kelly maintained his poise. His nerve held even after he had missed two earlier field goals. The friendly banter between Mr. Paterno and Mr. Bowden -- both seemed determined to say complimentary things about the opposing team -- offered a welcome respite from the trash-talking that so often is part of professional sports.

The only sour note is that JoePa appears not to have understood the seriousness of a sex assault charge made against a Florida State athlete. Mr. Paterno's comment Monday was unfortunate. He said the player "may not even have known what he was getting into. ... A cute little girl knocks on the door. What do you do? Geez ... thank God, they don't knock on my door."

While Coach deserves to bask in how his players performed on the gridiron, he should spend the off-season thinking about how athletes should conduct themselves off the field.