Penn State junior linebacker LaVar Arrington said Tuesday night that he isn't sure whether he will turn professional or return for a fourth season with the Nittany Lions.

"I'm not totally sold," Arrington said.  "I still need to hear a few things."

Arrington didn't need to sell himself to a packed house at the Sylvania Alamo Bowl after his fierce pass rush led to three of four Penn State interceptions in a 24-0 victory over the Texas Aggies.

Living up to his reputation as the best linebacker in the nation, Arrington, the Butkus Award winner, paced the Lions with 14 tackles, including eight unassisted.  It was the first shutout for Penn State this season and its first in a postseason game since the 1959 Liberty Bowl.

"Really?"  Arrington asked.  "Wow.   That's like a Hollywood script.  It means a lot."

The players said they wanted the shutout for defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who is retiring after 32 years on the PSU staff.

"We put a zero on the scoreboard," a jubilant Penn State linebacker Brandon Short said.  "Zero, baby.  Zero.  That's Sandusky."

Both Arrington and Short sneaked in behind Sandusky on the sideline with about 30 seconds remaining and doused the coach with Gatorade.

"I loved it here in San Antonio," Arrington said.   "I have a lot of good memories.  But the best memory is getting that zero for Jerry."

Arrington reportedly could be among the first five picks in the upcoming NFL draft if he decides to turn pro.

"I just want to make sure I'm comfortable with the things going on," Arrington said.  "I want to make sure my parents are comfortable.  But I don't know all the details yet."

The devil truly was in the details statistically for A&M, held to 202 total yards — its second lowest output of the season.  Previously the Aggies hadn't been tortured this badly since the Nebraska Cornhuskers held them to 118 yards in a 37-0 shutout loss Nov. 6 at Lincoln, Neb.

"Our defense bent but it didn't break," Sandusky said.   "And we had people who made plays in the clutch.  It's symbolic of the way we played here for years."

It was a tough night for A&M senior Randy McCown, who hit 13 of 24 passes for 105 yards and threw all four interceptions.  Hero defensive back Derek Fox picked off two of them and returned one 34 yards for a touchdown.

Arrington, a 243-pound speedster who zoomed through gaps in the A&M line like a laser ray, either hit McCown's arm or forced him to alter his motion on three of the interceptions.

"I think they were more concerned with keeping (defensive end) Courtney Brown from hitting (McCown)," Arrington said.  "If they did hit him he probably would have knocked McCown out of the game.  I guess they thought I was the lesser of two evils."

Defensive end Justin Kurpeikis also enjoyed a big game with 10 tackles, including four for losses. 

Penn State never allowed A&M to get closer than 13 yards to the end zone.  The drive came on the first series of the third quarter.  It ended when Arrington surged through the line and popped McCown, who offered up a flutter ball that linebacker Ron Graham intercepted at the 6.

"I just didn't want to fumble after I caught it," Graham said.

A loss for Penn State (10-3) against A&M (8-4) would have hurt badly.  It would have given the school its first four-game losing streak in 67 years. 

"There was pressure to perform after three losses.   You just can't dismiss that.  If you have four straight losses, that's history the wrong way," Arrington said.