Joyner updates Penn State coaching search

Penn State's search committee continues to talk to candidates for the University's head coaching vacancy and "work through the interview process," Penn State acting athletic director Dave Joyner said Thursday in a prepared statement.

Joyner reiterated that the six-person committee is "taking a very deliberate and measured approach" to the search. It's been 43 days since Joe Paterno was fired by Penn State's Board of Trustees.

Penn State plays Houston on Jan. 2 in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas.

Below is Joyner's statement in its entirety. The statement was released by Penn State's athletic department.

"As we head into the holidays, I wanted to share an update on the search for the next head football coach at Penn State. We are continuing to talk with individuals that we're interested in and work through the interview process. As I'm sure all can appreciate, this is a very important hire for Penn State and, as a result, the search committee is taking a very deliberate and measured approach to the process in order to identify the coach that best fits the requirements of the position.

"We look forward to introducing our new football coach at the appropriate time. In the interim, I'd like to wish everyone happy holidays as well as remind all Penn Staters to support our team and its 23 seniors as they compete against the 12-1 Houston Cougars in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas on January 2nd."

--Jake Kaplan