Southern Mississippi may be best recognized as Brett Favre's alma mater, or a team that is at or near the top of the Conference USA standings each year.

But teams who have the Golden Eagles on their schedules know that they are far from the typical non-conference pushover.

In the last five years, Southern Mississippi has won at Alabama, Illinois, and Georgia, with near misses in the backyards of Nebraska and Florida. Despite achieving a level of success that most large universities would envy, the Eagles and their coach would like to make one thing clear: this is not an underdog team.

"I really don't like that role," said Southern Mississippi head coach Jeff Bower. "I don't think of it in those terms at all."

Sneaking up on people used to be how the Eagles made headlines. But the team has done enough damage against the nation's elite, not to mention in its own conference, to be classified as one of the country's best itself.

"I think we quit sneaking up on people a few years ago," Southern Miss quarterback Jeff Kelly said. "It seems like everyone gets ready to play their best game against us."

You'd think that coming into the 107,000-capacity Beaver Stadium to play perennial power Penn State would be intimidating for a team in Conference USA. But for a team that has played in Knoxville's Neyland Stadium and Tuscaloosa's Bryant-Denny Stadium, it's just another day's work.

Kelly admitted the noise will be a factor this Saturday, but the fifth-year senior, for one, isn't intimidated.

"I don't know if anything can prepare you for that kind of (noise)," he said. "As the game goes on, we don't really pay attention to that. Our focus is on the field instead."

The Eagles aren't in awe of the Lions' turf, nor are they of the Lions themselves. In fact, tailback Dawayne Woods feels the term "upset" need not apply should Southern Miss win.

"I wouldn't call it an upset," he said. "I think we're a great team too, one that's gotten a lot of respect from teams around the country. It'll just be two teams going head-to-head and the best team will come out on top."

Penn State coach Joe Paterno has probably never been accused of taking an opponent lightly, and he's making no exception of Bower and the Eagles, especially the defense.

"They are well coached, play with a lot of enthusiasm and run to the football," Paterno said. "I think they are very tough."

And just because the Lions finally have relief from their punishing Big Ten schedule, they understand what many of the nation's best have come to know -- Southern Miss comes to play.

"I don't think we are looking at anything right now as conference or non-conference. We are just looking at the fact that we are playing a good football team," he said.