Big Ten wins have been in short supply recently for Penn State football.

A 3-14 record in the last two years has dirtied the Nittany Lions' (3-0) conference relevance. A win at Northwestern (2-1) tomorrow could start the rinse cycle.

"Hopefully we've got some of that behind us, where we don't make dumb mistakes, and we do things that we've gotta do in the clutch to win close games," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "We'll be OK. And if we don't, we don't."

The previous two times these teams met, the Wildcats owned the higher score at the end of the game, and the Lions were only able to manage seven points each time.

This time, though, the Wildcats are coming off an embarrassing 52-21 loss at Arizona State, and the Lions are rolling after three relatively convincing victories.

"I'm definitely enjoying it," Lions quarterback Michael Robinson said. "But I haven't really sat back and thought about it. I'm very focused. All I'm thinking about is Northwestern."

Robinson right now is rated eighth in the country in passing efficiency, with a rating of 176.10. That statistic is a huge credit to the well of talent this year at the wide receiver position, which has been something of an Achilles' heel for the Lions the last two seasons.

Redshirt freshman Deon Butler has already caught three Robinson bombs for touchdowns and is averaging 90.5 yards receiving per game.

Butler and the other freshman dynamos are anxiously anticipating what will be their first conference and away game.

"It brings a whole new excitement going to somebody else's field and just taking it over and making it your own," Butler said.

The Lions shouldn't have to adapt much from their new pass-at-will offense, considering the Wildcats gave up 483 yards passing last week.

"We have some players who can make big plays," Paterno said. "So what are you going to do? Sit with your hands

behind your back saying, 'Don't throw the ball?' "

The lone bright spot for Northwestern is -- as it always has been -- its offense.

Quarterback Brett Basanez has already put up more yards passing than Robinson and Lions backup Anthony Morelli combined, nearing the 800-yard mark.

Freshman Tyrell Sutton has already run for 416 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 6.7 yards per carry.

"Northwestern is a very, very clever football team," Paterno said. "Northwestern will be a challenge for us, believe me. Believe me."

The Wildcats will be eager to protect their seven-game home winning streak, which includes five consecutive home Big Ten wins.

Robinson said tomorrow's game has the potential to set the tone for the duration of the Big Ten season.

"I wanna know, really, what type of football team we have right now," he said.

Game notes:

Senior center E.Z. Smith has been practicing with the second-team offense in practice this week, and Paterno said he is going to play the former starter in some capacity tomorrow. Sophomore linebacker Dan Connor has been practicing with the team since last week and could participate in tomorrow's game. Connor's mother, Carol Connor, said her family and her son have not heard anything official from Paterno. The team's travel roster will be released today.