The Penn State football team will only go as far as the left arm of Zack Mills takes it.

Even if the Nittany Lions offensive line never meshes together as a cohesive unit, or a No. 1 running back is never established, or the receivers never run their routes better, Mills will be the key to this team. The offense may continue to sputter, but if Penn State wants to any win games, its quarterback is the one who can make it possible.

In the first two games, Mills hardly played to the level that Penn State fans have come to expect.

A sub-par effort in the opener against Temple, when Mills threw for only 79 yards, was good enough to slip past the Owls, 23-10. A mediocre performance versus Boston College was quite apparent as the Eagles jumped out early and Penn State never recovered.

Mills didn't have a chance all afternoon to set and throw, being that a Boston College defender was in the backfield on virtually every play. But with that said, Mills needs to make more accurate throws on the run. It's that simple. He has done it in the past and the Nittany Lions need him to start doing it again.

There is no question that Mills is the leader of the offense. Even last year, Mills was the leader of the offense. Yes, Mills shared the backfield with Larry Johnson, who rushed for almost 200 yards in every game during the second half of the season, but when Mills played poorly against good teams, the Lions had little shot of winning.

In the Capital One Bowl against Auburn, Mills struggled throwing the ball, completing only eight passes for 67 yards. The result was a 13-9 loss, with the offense scoring just one touchdown.

In the Lions' other three losses last season, Mills had his problems for the entire game or a big chunk of it.

The Ohio State game last season was a day to forget for Mills. He was intercepted three times, including the pick Chris Gamble took to the house for the game-winning touchdown. In both the Iowa and Michigan games, he started slowly before bouncing back. Neither time did he have the magic to pull out the win.

Even in some of the wins in 2002, Mills wasn't at his sharpest.

Take the Indiana game, for example. He threw three interceptions in the first half but Penn State obliterated the Hoosiers, 58-25, behind 327 yards from L.J. No one remembers Mills' poor showing that day.

But Mills' luck is about to change, starting with Nebraska tomorrow night.

Deep down, Mills knows that he has to be the one to turn things around for this team, whether it be by getting in players' faces when they do something wrong, which isn't his style, or by leading by example, which he hasn't done through the first two games.

Mills said on Tuesday that he is working on being a vocal leader. He also acknowledged that some of his passes have been sailing on him.

"I have to keep my elbow up," he said. "It's been down too much."

Hopefully, during the week he has been working to keep his elbow up, so on Saturday when he throws a 15-yard out to Tony Johnson it won't sail five yards out of bounds.

If Mills and his Lions come out and move the ball in their first few drives, expect this game to remain close throughout.

Even if Penn State doesn't score on its first drive, but can pick up first downs, then Mills and the offense will recapture the confidence that has diminished since the crushing 27-14 loss to the Eagles.

But scoring first would be huge for Penn State.

A Mills touchdown strike to Austin Scott giving Penn State a 7-0 lead would change everything.

It would take pressure off both the offense and defense, quiet 70,000-plus people and Nebraska would start thinking to themselves, "Here we go again."

Mills was asked if he dreamt about Cornhuskers linebacker Demorrio Williams.

He said, "No."

And that's a good thing. He's focused on his game and what he needs to do.

He needs to be more accurate. Accuracy was never a problem before, but against the fierce, blitzing blackshirts it will be vital.

Mills is quiet, but he is a proud football player. He couldn't have been pleased with the way his team played against Boston College.

Expect Mills to play differently tomorrow than he has in a long, long time.