If Penn State is Linebacker U, then Minnesota has to be Running Back U.

In the past few years, Minnesota has churned out NFL-caliber running backs like Marion Barber III in 2004 and Laurence Maroney last year.

But Barber's in Dallas now, and Maroney is busy scoring touchdowns with Tom Brady in New England. And Gary Russell -- who was expected to shoulder the load this year after scoring a Minnesota-record 19 touchdowns last season -- was declared academically ineligible prior to the start of this season.

That wasn't it. Two other running backs, Jay Thomas and Brylee Callendar, were also suspended -- Callendar for violating team rules and Thomas for undisclosed reasons.

Throw in the fact that the Golden Gophers lost All-America offensive linemen Greg Eslinger and Mark Setterstrom to the NFL Draft in April, and the 2006 Minnesota rushing attack didn't look to be up to the program's lofty standards. But junior Amir Pinnix has emerged for the Gophers, rushing for 477 yards and two touchdowns on 75 attempts, and sophomore Alex Daniels -- a converted linebacker -- has added five touchdowns and 300 yards on the ground. The two have helped Minnesota average 203 yards a game rushing, good for second in the Big Ten.

Against Michigan last week, the Gophers rushed for 108 yards as a team. The numbers certainly weren't eye-popping, but they were attacking a Michigan defense that allowed an average of just 18.5 yards rushing through its first four games.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who has made it clear multiple times this year he doesn't enjoy comparing players, even ventured to compare this year's Minnesota rushing attack with those of years past.

"It's a typical Minnesota team," he said.

So far this year, the Nittany Lions are ranked second in rushing defense, allowing just 81.8 yards on the ground a game. Defensive tackles Jay Alford and Ed Johnson have been vital for Penn State's front four, consistently clogging running lanes.

"It all starts on the line," linebacker Paul Posluszny said. "Whoever wins the battle of the line of scrimmage is probably going to win this game."

And it's not like Penn State hasn't faced tough runners this year. The Lions have squared off against talented backs like Notre Dame's Darius Walker and Ohio State's Antonio Pittman.

And then there's the running back Posluszny and Co. face every day in practice: Tony Hunt.

"He might be the toughest guy to tackle in all the Big Ten right now. He's 230, but can move like he's 190," linebacker Dan Connor said. "He's so versatile in his attack that it's tough to judge how to take him down."

Lining up against the senior runner offers a chance for Penn State defenders to brush up everyday against a big, bruising back, not unlike one of the two they'll face this weekend -- Daniels weighs in at 255 pounds and stands at 6-foot-3.

Last year, Linebacker U got the best of Running Back U, as Penn State Penn State absolutely shut down Minnesota's typical rushing game in a 44-14 win against the Gophers at Beaver Stadium.

In that game, the Lions held Heisman candidate Maroney to just 50 yards.

"We had trouble doing everything last year. We got beat pretty good," Minnesota quarterback Bryan Cupito said. "We are just going to try to run our offense and hope it works a little better this year."