BELLEFONTE — Jerry Sandusky's defense attorney Joe Amendola never called the widow of former head football coach Joe Paterno to the witness stand.

He didn't call any of Sandusky's adopted children or the former president of Penn State, Graham Spanier.

They were all on the defense's potential witness list, but they never testified.

Neither did Sandusky, despite hints from his attorney that the 68-year-old man would take the stand on his own behalf.

Then there were the alleged victims' phone records that the defense wanted, suggesting some of the young men may have communicated during the grand jury investigation. The defense wanted their psychological and school records, too, to show behavior problems to discredit them.

But not a single one of those strategies came into play during the case to defend the former Penn State coach against charges he sexually abused 10 young boys — what his lawyer once called the "game of his life."

Instead, the Sandusky defense rested its case Wednesday morning after less than two full days of mostly character testimony and only a few substantive witnesses, bringing a quiet end to a high-profile case.

The prosecution didn't offer any rebuttal testimony.

Instead, jurors got a sneak preview of what they'll be doing today, including beginning deliberations.

Senior Judge John Cleland will give his instructions to the jury at 9 this morning, followed by closing arguments from the defense and the prosecution.

After that, the jury will deliberate in sequestration.

Still unsettled is a request by defense attorneys to drop some parts of the case.

Defense attorney Karl Rominger asked the judge to drop the charges related to an incident in which Sandusky is alleged to have sexually abused a boy in a Penn State shower in November 2000.

Rominger argued that the prosecution's amended bill of particulars lists the incident as having taken place between Nov. 20 and 27, 2000, when the football team was playing an away game. Rominger said testimony the defense presented shows the last game that year to be on Nov. 18.

Prosecutor Frank Fina said the only document that matters — the indictment — says that the incident took place on a Thursday or Friday evening in November 2000.

The defense presented on Wednesday two character witnesses who met Sandusky through The Second Mile. They said they thought of Sandusky as a father figure and they said he never touched them inappropriately.

One man, 35-year-old Chad Rexrode, of Pittsburgh, said he stayed at Sandusky's house many times, went to football games and never showered with Sandusky.

The other, 21-year-old David Hilton, of Lancaster County, said he stayed at Sandusky's house many times, too, and even went to San Francisco with Sandusky and enjoyed the trip.

Hilton testified he was interviewed by police, who he thought tried to get him to say things that weren't true.

On cross-examination, prosecutor Joseph E. McGettigan III said Hilton's uncle, Timothy Burns, had contacted investigators with concern. But Hilton, when asked about that, maintained there was no inappropriate contact.

The defense lineup consisted of mostly character witnesses who testified that Sandusky has a glowing reputation in this community, and some of those people have known the Sanduskys for more than 40 years.

Sandusky's wife, Dottie, got on the stand Tuesday, and for 45 minutes answered questions about her husband's busy life being a coach, a father, a grandfather and someone who likes to help youth. But Dottie Sandusky suggested she wasn't keen on every single Second Mile child her husband took under his wing, calling alleged victim No. 1 "clingy" and alleged victim No. 4 "conniving."

Most importantly for the defense, she said she never saw anything inappropriate between her husband and the boys. But she couldn't offer a reason why the now-young men and former assistant coach Mike McQueary would lie when asked by the prosecution.

The defense also called upon a psychologist to explain why Sandusky would write letters to a young boy. The psychologist said Sandusky had histrionic personality disorder, but a prosecution expert later testified the opposite.

If anything, the defense's case attempted to chip away at perceived holes in some of the alleged victims' stories to cast enough doubt about the prosecution witnesses' testimonies.

They include:

• Witnesses refuting alleged victim No. 10's testimony that Sandusky drove a silver convertible;

• A woman who knew alleged victim No. 4 growing up saying he was "dishonest;"

• A neighbor who said the mother of alleged victim No. 1 may have her eye on a civil lawsuit to make money and buy a new house;

• Alleged victim No. 9 saying he spent every weekend for several years at the Sandusky home;

• Defense witnesses saying it's common for coaches to shower with young people or boys after workouts;

• An investigator trying to get alleged victim No. 4 to open up by telling him others had reported oral sex and there was an instance of a rape;

• Former Second Mile participants who said they stayed over at Sandusky's house and who also said they looked to him as a father figure and never had inappropriate contact with him; and

• Dottie Sandusky refuting the notion alleged victim No. 4 was forced into oral sex in a Texas hotel room in 1999, instead saying Sandusky was upset with the boy who didn't want to attend a $50-a-plate luncheon.

Amendola said in his opening statements last week that he had a "daunting" task ahead of him.

The prosecution presented testimony from eight men ages 18 to 28 who recounted in graphic detail varying degrees of sexual abuse by Sandusky. One of them appeared in agony as he testified, most said they didn't want anything to do with the investigation, and all denied they were in it with the hope of a payout from a civil lawsuit.

The testimony phase drew dozens of people who came to watch and scores of out-of-town news reporters. Advocacy groups, such as MaleSurvivor and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, had representatives both inside and outside the courthouse, offering supportive comments to the alleged victims and assailing the defense.

One of the original 12 jurors won't be part of deliberations. Juror No. 6, a young woman who works for The Apartment Store, called in sick Wednesday and was excused from court.

The first alternate, a 2007 Penn State graduate whose college graduation ceremony had Sandusky as the speaker, filled that seat on the jury.

Mike Dawson can be reached at 231-4616. Follow him on Twitter @MikeDawsonCDT