Penn State has already derailed the Heisman hopes of one stud tailback this season, and it will be looking to do the same tomorrow when Wisconsin tailback Brian Calhoun comes to Beaver Stadium.

In the week leading up to Penn State's game with Minnesota, the Penn State defense talked about how it wanted to end Golden Gopher Laurence Maroney's candidacy for the end-of-season award. It did just that, holding Maroney to 48 yards on 16 carries.

But there has been nothing but praise coming out of the Nittany Lion camp this week whenever the name Calhoun has been mentioned.

"He's unbelievable," linebacker Paul Posluszny said. "He has done a great job so far this year. Obviously his main asset is his speed, but he can break tackles, too. It's going to be tough for us to bring him down."

Tough may be an understatement. Calhoun is currently third in the nation in rushing yards and first in the NCAA in total attempts, with a ridiculous 28.2 per game.

Maroney and Calhoun are very different runners, but in preparing to face Calhoun, the Lions can take something from their gameplan against Maroney. Both backs attempt to wear the defense out by pounding the ball and exploit a tired defense in the fourth quarter.

Depth has been basically the only problem for Penn State's defense all season, but, judging by their performance against Maroney, the defense wearing down is a minor concern.

In that game, the Lions offense controlled the clock, keeping Maroney off of the field and limiting his effectiveness.

Still, Penn State coach Joe Paterno said containing Calhoun will be the key to the game defensively for the Lions.

"Calhoun is one of the best backs we've played against in a long time, and I think if he runs around 50, 60 yards, I think we'll get a long day," Paterno said. "When he gets out into the open field, he's really tough. He's a great open-field runner."

Calhoun's speed has allowed him to gash defenses for long runs all season, but he will not be the first elite tailback that the Lions have faced this year.

In fact, Calhoun will be the sixth tailback that Penn State has faced this year that is in the top 30 in the country in rush yards per game.

"He's very fast. He can see where he has to go and get into the holes where he has to be fast and quick," defensive end Tamba Hali said. "He's the only running back that we watched all year that runs as much as he does."

Paterno and Hali both mentioned how dangerous Calhoun is when allowed to stretch the field and get into top gear. Cornerback Alan Zemaitis said that keeping Calhoun inside the tackles will be the key to slowing him down.

"Calhoun, I've been a fan of his. It's kind of funny, I used to watch him play all the time. I think we'll just try to keep him inside the tackles. We can't let him get to the edge," Zemaitis said, and added that if Calhoun does get outside it will be his responsibility to make the play. "That is the corner's responsibility. He's gotta make the tackle out there and turn him inside and make sure we get him."

The burden of containing Calhoun will also fall on the offense who must put together sustained drives and keep the Badgers from pounding the ball like they did in last October's 16-3 victory over the Lions.

"I think it is kind of a challenge because we have had a few games where people expect that the other back would come in and have a big game against us. I kind of take it as a personal challenge, and I would kind of like to outdo the other backs that come in here," tailback Tony Hunt said. "Against a team like Wisconsin who controls the clock so much, you really need to run the ball and the clock."