Before facing Texas quarterback Vince Young earlier this fall, Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter said that, "Our goal is when Vince Young leaves here, he won't be a candidate for the Heisman."

Young's late-game heroics lifted the Longhorns over the Buckeyes, 25-22, and Young left Columbus with his considerable Heisman hype firmly in tow.

But that didn't stop Penn State defensive end Matthew Rice from making a similar statement this week before facing Minnesota's Laurence Maroney.

"I know he is a very talented running back, but we are going to see about the Heisman hype Saturday," Rice said.

"Anybody that steps on the field we want to slow him down. I'm happy for him, he's a good back. He's one of the best backs in the Big Ten. But Saturday he is coming to our fort, to our home. It's going to be a really good game."

Whether Rice and his comrades manage to slow down Maroney has yet to be seen, but the senior is most certainly on the mark in predicting a good game.

Both Penn State and Minnesota have sprinted out of the gates to 4-0 starts, and the matchup features the best running offense in the country squaring off against one of the nation's best defenses against the run.

Maroney is leading the country in both carries and yards from scrimmage while Penn State's defense is 16th in the country against the run, but Maroney proved last week that he can be successful against a staunch defense.

The junior gashed Purdue's defense, which was previously ranked No. 1 in the nation against the run, for 217 yards on 46 carries.

But the Gophers rushing attack is more than just simply Maroney -- Minnesota's second tailback, Gary Russell, has run for only 60 fewer yards than Penn State feature back Tony Hunt has through the first four games of the season.

"[Minnesota coach Glen Mason] has a background of knowing how to run the football and how to coach the offensive line and how to get the most out of a good tailback," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said.

Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny, who made a whopping 22 tackles in last week's come-from-behind victory over Northwestern and will be counted on to help keep the Gophers from running wild, agreed with Paterno.

"I would say it's a little bit of both," Posluszny said. "Personnel-wise they obviously have a really good running back, but they also are really well coached and they do have a good scheme."

Penn State struggled stopping the run last weekend against Northwestern and at times allowed Wildcat tackle Zach Strief to completely dominate in the trenches.

The Lions defensive line won't have it any easier this week. Minnesota's line contains two candidates for All-America honors in center Greg Eslinger and guard Mark Setterstrom.

The Gophers offensive scheme often requires Eslinger to pull and lead plays to the outside, a skill in which he is extremely proficient.

"They trust their linemen to make a lot of key blocks on pulls and you really have to be special to be that size and make those blocks," Rice said. "There are a lot of different plays where they might pull the center to go block the corner. It's a nice scheme they run."

Nevertheless, Penn State's defense has never been lacking in confidence, and it is fully aware of what containing Maroney and getting a win over a top-25 opponent would do for the program.

"If we can get a good win against Minnesota, that will finally help people realize that Penn State is starting to make its way back to the top," hero Calvin Lowry said. "The game of football is like chess; it's all about movement. We're going to have to disguise some stuff this week. It's going to be a hard-hitting game. Beaver Stadium at 3:30."