Thomas Runs Penn State Show : MVP: Blair Thomas makes the most of his big chance in a bowl game, and gives his defense time to breath, by rushing for 186 yards on 35 carries.

SAN DIEGO —  The question had been posed to Penn State Coach Joe Paterno the past three weeks by virtually everyone who had a notebook in their hand or a camera behind them.

Yes, Paterno knew that Blair Thomas, his All-American running back, never has had much of a chance to perform in a bowl game.

Yes, Paterno knew that this game could greatly enhance Thomas’ stock in the NFL draft, proving once and for all that his right knee was perfectly healthy.

And, of course, he was well-aware that this would be Thomas’ final hurrah in his glorious career at Penn State.

But almost apologetically, Paterno would always say that he didn’t get this far in the coaching profession by being a sentimentalist, and he wasn’t about to start now.

He was not--repeat not--going to allow his emotions to get in the way of Penn State’s chances for victory over BYU in the Holiday Bowl just to reward Thomas for everything he has done the past five years.

So as you can imagine that Saturday night after Penn State’s 50-39 victory over BYU, Paterno had some explaining to do.

Thomas, becoming a one-man show, gained a season-high 186 yards while carrying the ball a Holiday Bowl-record 35 times. He was named the game’s co-offensive MVP with BYU quarterback Ty Detmer.

He ripped through the BYU defense to the left. He tore through it to the right. He broke up the middle. Heck, he was even catching passes, leading Penn State with two receptions for 46 yards.

Yeah, sure, Paterno wasn’t going to use this game as a showcase for Thomas.

But before anyone gets the idea that Paterno is getting soft on us, let him explain.

“We’ve been watching all of the films on Ty Detmer,” Paterno said, “and after all our planning, we figured the best way to stop him was just to keep him off the field as much as possible.”

Penn State hardly can be accused of even slowing down Detmer (he was 42 for 59 for 576 yards), but without Thomas, well . . .

“It could have been ugly,” Paterno said.

Said Penn State fullback Leroy Thompson: “It could have been real ugly.”

Instead, Thomas’ ground game allowed the Penn State defense to at least catch a breather before chasing Detmer all around the field, and left the BYU defenders a little dizzy.

The game-plan was oh-so simple. Give the ball to Thomas. Give the ball to Thomas. Give the ball to Thomas. When he needs a breather, throw a pass or hand the ball to Thompson, but then give the ball back to Thomas.

“You’d think we would have been able to stop him,” BYU Coach LaVell Edwards said, “but he just got stronger as the game went on. It was one of the best performances anyone’s ever had against us.”

Even Thomas, the ever-humble one, had to agree that it might have been the finest performance of his career.

“I think it was,” he said. “I know I’ve never blocked better.”

Blocked? Who said anything about blocking? But, of course, Thomas doesn’t consider any game a good one unless he excels in every phase.

“I think we can all be proud of ourselves after this one,” Thomas said.

Certainly for Thomas, it helps redeem the painful memories of past bowl experiences. Although he’s a two-time All-America, Thomas’ career bowl experience has consisted of one rush for a minus-three yards and three kickoff returns for 45 yards.

He was a young, inexperienced kid when Penn State played in the Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl in his first two seasons, and when he emerged into stardom in 1988, he tore up his right knee and missed the Citrus Bowl.

On Saturday night, it was his turn.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said, “but I guess I finally made the most of it.”