Temple did it. Then Boston College did it. Then Nebraska did it. In fact, every team on Penn State's schedule this year has gone for the Nittany Lions' jugular.

With scouting reports calling for teams to constantly exploit the main weakness of the Penn State football team -- specifically the Lions' ineffective run defense -- opponents have been successful by being conservative. Not only has it become an issue that teams are defeating the Lions on the ground, the underlying problem is that they're doing it without making many mistakes.

Not having to air the ball out is a luxury many teams wish they could have, and in fact do when they matchup against Penn State.

Take Wisconsin for example.

"That's a good running football team; those backs are good backs," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "I think most of the time we did a good job. We missed some tackles, particularly early in the game. But I think overall I think they played well."

The Badgers rolled into Happy Valley on Saturday with a traditional balanced offense, utilizing the solid running abilities of tailback Anthony Davis to set up the passing attack with the team's talented wide receivers. They left with a 30-23 win, throwing the ball only nine times, two of which went for scores.

Pretty conservative.

Wisconsin dominated on the ground, as the Badgers pulled off 234 yards on 51 carries. Wisconsin felt so comfortable it could control the Lions' defensive line the team had no issues running the ball on third and long. If a team doesn't have to throw the ball, thus increasing the risk of a turnover, it won't.

So why does this become an issue, aside from the obvious?

The Lions have lost their four games by an average margin of eight points. In those games, Penn State has had three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. None of those were converted for scores. Needless to say, the defensive touchdowns have been at a minimum for the Lions.

But with the average margin of defeat as low as it is, points added on defense become critical. Penn State could have used a few on Saturday.

If teams aren't passing be ball, the chance of an interception is reduced. Fumbles are a rare breed when compared to interceptions -- especially this year -- so getting teams to air out the ball should be a priority of the Lions' defense.

In addition to reducing the chances for turnovers, Penn State's weakness containing the run does not play into its favor when it comes to clock management. As the last two games have displayed, the inability to stop a team from running the ball also leads to the inability to stop the clock.

And the Lions need all the time they can get at this point.