That's part of the speech that Joe Paterno gave his players before they beat Notre Dame in 1982, and its sentiment still rings true. It is impossible to separate a matchup between Penn State and Notre Dame from the history that surrounds both programs. The Golden Dome, Old Main, Joe Montana, John Cappelletti, Touchdown Jesus, Paternoville -- none of that matters tomorrow. The field at Notre Dame stadium is still 100 yards long 24 years later, and tomorrow the two teams will meet on that field, not in the history books.

Notre Dame keys to victory

Home field. Higher ranking. Tons of hype. Each of these things might make Notre Dame the more attractive pick, but the Fighting Irish will actually have to execute in order to stave off a Penn State team that is still hungry after shooting itself in the foot a few times against Akron last week.

The offensive line must protect Brady Quinn. Georgia Tech got to Notre Dame's quarterback during the first half of last week's game, putting him on his back and making him uncomfortable. For the Irish to be successful on offense, they can counter Penn State's blitzes with the occasional draw, keeping the Lions honest on defense -- and away from their quarterback.

Quinn must exploit the mismatches that the Irish receivers should have over Penn State's corners. Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight are one of the better receiving duos in the nation, and, if Quinn can get them the ball on a consistent basis, they will cause trouble in the Penn State secondary.

On defense, Notre Dame must contain Penn State's big play receivers, making sure that Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and A.J. Wallace do not accumulate large chunks of yardage as they did against Akron.

Stopping the Penn State running game will do wonders for the Irish, who would then force the Lions into predictable passing situations, which are typically the best opportunities to intercept passes that Morelli will force into tight spaces.

Forcing the Lions into three-and-outs and maintaining long drives themselves, the Irish can wear out the thin Penn State defensive line as the game goes on. A tired defensive line will be of little help against a Notre Dame rushing attack that only got better as the game went on last week.

Keeping the crowd in the game will be a good way to render Morelli and his cannon of an arm less effective.

Kicker Carl Gioia missed two field goal attempts at Georgia Tech. A repeat performance in another close game may leave the Irish with a loss and Gioia on the bench.

Notre Dame keys to victory

The last time Penn State ventured to South Bend, the Nittany Lions lost in heartbreaking fashion. This year, Penn State returns to the hallowed grounds of Notre Dame to renew its rivalry with Notre Dame. To have any chance of victory, Penn State needs more than just luck of the Irish.

Anthony Morelli and Penn State have to score first. Putting seven points on the board early would give the inexperienced Lions confidence, as well as help neutralize the Irish crowd. Morelli started quickly last week, completing seven of his first 10 passes. He'll need to do it again this week.

The offensive line absolutely must play better than it did against Akron. If Tony Hunt can't get his running game established, expect to see a lot of three-and-outs. If Penn State can't keep its offense on the field, a talented Notre Dame offense will wear down the Lions defense. Facing a quarterback like Quinn can exhaust any defense, especially when the opposing team has two elite receivers.

The defensive line has to pressure Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. Last week, Georgia Tech hounded the Heisman frontrunner the entire first half. The result: seven points, Notre Dame's lowest first-half scoring total under Charlie Weis. If the defensive line can break though Irish blockers, and the linebackers mix up their blitzes, Quinn could find himself on his back more than he'd like.

Penn State has to take shots downfield. Good thing offensive coordinator Galen Hall has completely changed the Penn State attitude when it comes to taking chances. Morelli's first-pass touchdown heave to Deon Butler last week proved that. There's no way the Irish secondary can keep up with speedy Lion wideouts, so Morelli may very well use that canon.

The Penn State defense can't take unnecessary penalties. Giving the Notre Dame offense any extra tries will spell disaster for the Lions.

Penn State has to win the special teams battle. That means no more fumbles on kickoff returns or embarrassing "slip-ups" on fake field goal attempts. A big play from A.J. Wallace or D-Will would help.