Penn State wrestling will face the biggest test of its Big Ten schedule this weekend when No. 2 Illinois and No. 17 Northwestern square off with the Nittany Lions.

The No. 14 Lions rebounded with a solid mid-week win against Lock Haven that followed a 23-16 loss to No. 10 Iowa. And although they've put the loss to the Hawkeyes behind them, it's still on the wrestlers' minds.

"We're disappointed. We feel we should've beat Iowa," senior captain Josh Walker said. "We're not happy about Iowa, but we've moved on to the rest of the season."

The rest of the season begins at 8 tonight against Illinois in Champaign.

But for some, there are lingering effects. Sophomore Nate Galloway, ranked No. 18 in the country at 157 pounds, broke against Iowa and gave up a major decision. Then, days later against Lock Haven, he fell 7-5 in overtime to a wrestler he had pinned multiple times since his days in high school.

Galloway came out and took an early 5-0 lead, but gave up the next seven points and appeared sluggish. Penn State coach Troy Sunderland was left wondering what to do with his starter, who was so confident a few weeks ago.

"I want to see where he's at," Sunderland said. "Depending on what type of answer I get, it can go a couple of different ways."

When the Lions spar with the Fighting Illini tonight, they will have a difficult time if Galloway can't rebound from his midseason woes.

"From top to bottom they don't have a weak spot," Sunderland said. "We're going to have our hands full."

Illinois will not be the only test, as Penn State travels to Evanston, Ill., tomorrow to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. As if the challenge of two road meets in two days wasn't daunting enough, the Wildcats beat the Hawkeyes two weekends ago.

That's not something you want to see as a Penn State wrestler right now, especially with the noticeable hole in the heart of the lineup. DeWitt Driscoll, ranked in the top 20 throughout the year, has had big wins over higher-ranked opponents but has yet to develop the needed consistency.

Then there's freshman Jack Decker filling in at 149 pounds for James Woodall, who suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury. Decker's struggles include a technical fall against Iowa last weekend.

With Jarrad Turner bumping up to 165 pounds to fill in for Steve Hart, and now with the once-consistent Galloway in a mental funk, the top and bottom will have to deliever.

But there is optimism. At 174 pounds, James Yonushonis overcame early season problems and now has two pins and a major decision in his last three matches coming into this weekend. He will take on No. 4 Peter Friedl of Illinois and No. 3 Jake Herbert of Northwestern.

With this, the final road trip before Big Tens, which will be held at Iowa, the Lions have to show they can throw down with the conference's elite. These two dual meets may determine if they're capable of that.