While much attention goes to freshman tailback P.J. Hill, Penn State's defense must also key in on two other weapons in No. 17 Wisconsin's offensive arsenal.

Senior quarterback John Stocco has experience on his side, while sophomore tight end Travis Beckum has recent history.

Stocco has 34 career starts under his belt, and has the second most wins of any active quarterback in college football (27), trailing only Boise State's Jared Zabransky.

"Anyone that has an extra year of experience, he's not going to make a whole lot of mistakes as a quarterback," senior Paul Posluszny said of Stocco. "He's a very, very smart football player and he does a great job controlling things for them."

Stocco ranks second in the conference and 14th in the country in passing efficiency, and his 14 touchdown throws to four interceptions are the type of numbers that let offensive coaches rest easily at night.

"Experience creates poise, and when you have experience, you have been in situations, you don't panic and you can play a little bit faster," Joe Paterno said.

Penn State has experience -- albeit negative -- against pass-catching tight ends, which is what the Lions will go up against tomorrow.

The Lions already faced two of the most productive tight ends in the country in Notre Dame's John Carlson and Minnesota's Matt Spaeth.

Neither matchup went very well.

Spaeth had six receptions against Penn State for 99 yards and a touchdown, while Carlson recorded six catches of his own for 98 yards. The pair rank one and two in most receiving yards against the Lions this season.

Beckum is Wisconsin's threat at the position, and is one of only three tight ends in the nation with more than 550 yards receiving.

"They do [use their tight end]," linebacker Dan Connor said. "[Beckum] gets most of their passes. That's very similar to what we faced in other good offenses."

Notre Dame and Minnesota's offenses made the Lions defense look worse than it had in many moons, and a big reason for those lapses was the failure to defend against throws to the tight end.

"Really with the tight end, we've just got to get our hands on him," said safety Donnie Johnson. "We got to get on him every play. In previous games, we let the tight end release freely. He was able to find the soft spot in our defense. If we get our hands on the tight end, that might tire him out."

If it's Penn State getting tired out from having to chase after Beckum, then Stocco will certainly know how to capitalize.

"I've been in just about every situation you can be in as a quarterback," Stocco said. "That just helps you out when you recognize the opportunities to make big plays."