Bill Lynch says he isn't pressuring his Indiana football team too much or treating this week differently than any other -- even though a win would make the Hoosiers eligible for their first bowl game since 1993.
"We haven't gotten too excited when we got a win," the Hoosiers' head coach said, "and we're not going tohang our head when we get a loss."
Joe Paterno, however, sees this week as a time for his Penn State team to prove some things.
"We've got a ways to go," the 80-year-old Penn State coach said. "But we're getting there."
When the Nittany Lions and Hoosiers meet at noon tomorrow in Memorial Stadium, it might be hard to tell the two teams apart.
Both are 5-2 and have even 2-2 records in conference games.
But the similarities might be misleading. Penn State's season began with national title hopes on the minds of many players. Two conference losses on the road have it scrambling to get its season on track.
The Hoosiers, meanwhile, entered the season looking to "play 13" -- all 12 regular season games plus a bowl game. Even though a win tomorrow would make them eligible to do just that, they're trying not to kick up the pressure.
"We're really not changing our approach any more than we did last week or the week before," Lynch said.
More than 500 miles away, on the Penn State practice fields, the intensity has increased as the Lions try to correct the mistakes of the past two road games.
Tomorrow will be a chance for the Lions to prove they can play well on the road after dropping five fumbles and throwing three interceptions in the first two road contests at Michigan and Illinois.
"We made the mistakes I was worried we would make," Paterno said.
The Lions don't want to make those mistakes again. With Indiana's quick, athletic offense, any misstep could be fatal, cornerback Lydell Sargeant said.
"I don't think it's going to be easy to prepare for him," Sargeant said of Hoosier quarterback Kellen Lewis. "If one person doesn't do their assignment or messes up, it could be a touchdown. It is important to us that every little thing matters in this game."
Penn State's offense is trying to look at the upsides of last week's game and carry them into Indiana. Quarterback Anthony Morelli didn't throw an interception, and the Lions' running game did not fumble the ball once for the first time all year.
"I think we can handle it," Morelli said of Indiana's defense. "I think we'll be prepared for it."
