Everyone thinks they know why the Indiana offense is such a well-oiled machine.

But if you said Antwaan Randle El, you're wrong.

Sure the shifty senior quarterback is quicker than a hiccup and can break the big play at any given moment, but if it weren't for a fellow backfield mate, Randle El would have more spies on him than a Soviet weapons dealer.

The key to Cam Cameron's option attack hinges on the ability of tailback Levron Williams to provide a steady punch up the middle and reliable pitchman down the line. And Williams hasn't failed his coach or his teammates yet this season.

"Levron brings a lot to the table," Randle El said. "You can't run the option unless you have the inside game that he's brought. But he can do it on the option attack too. A lot of games we've played in, we've gotten him in one on one situations with a safety and he ran past them.

"His speed is what makes him different."

That speed has propelled Williams to 1,093 yards already this season, good enough for second-best in the Big Ten and ranking him 12th in the country. On top of that the senior from Evansville, Ind., has tallied 18 touchdowns this season, making him the nation's fourth highest scorer.

"Knowing that I can go out there and put up those types of numbers is a great feeling," Williams said.

But he won't take all the credit alone.

"The offensive line has been doing the job all year long," Williams said. "They just open up holes and we run through them. And in our offense, we've got the defense running from sideline to sideline so we have them right where we want them."

Just ask Michigan State about that.

Last week, with the Hoosiers and Spartans tied up at 21-21 with 2:11 left in the second quarter, Williams took an option pitch and bolted 80 yards for a touchdown to give Indiana the lead for good.

And just to tack on some insurance, he added a 22-yard score with 2:02 left in the game to ice the Hoosiers 37-28 upset victory.

Plus, when fullback Jeremi Johnson gets into the act, Cameron's game plan gets even more difficult to defend.

"When Jeremi plays well, we run the ball well," Cameron said. "Then it goes to your quarterback and the decisions that he has to make. Levron becomes the final spoke in that wheel. He has to continue playing hard and improve."

Add all three of these components up and it can make for a serious migraine for opposing defenses. That doesn't exclude Penn State head man Joe Paterno and his defensive coaching staff.

"It is obviously a different type of offense in the sense that they ran for 500 and some yards last week against a pretty good football team," Paterno said. "Michigan State has a history of being pretty good defensively, particularly against the run. Randle El ran for 140 and the tailback, Williams, ran for 200 and something. Overall, it was 500 or close to it."

So what do the Lions need to do to stop this blitzkrieg of backs? As far as Paterno's concerned, you stick to the basics.

"You have to try to get lined up properly and try to come off of some blocks," Paterno said. "You have to hustle and you have to tackle. It is the same thing you have to do for everybody else."