Drew Astorino acknowledged Tuesday he has been favoring a left shoulder injury since summer camp but says it does not affect his play.

"I'm not really sure what's wrong with it," the sophomore strong safety said. "It's something I can play with, and it's not really a big deal."

He said it started out as a stinger and now gets loose during games. Astorino rehabs his shoulder a little bit during the week, but it hasn't been looked at by doctors beyond that.

"That's an extremely underrated injury too because you lose complete strength in your shoulder," said linebacker Sean Lee, who coach Joe Paterno said is close to 100 percent and has more confidence in his knee.

"You get a stinger almost every time you hit, and he's sucked it up," Lee added. "That's the type of guy he is. He's a tough guy who's always working hard. We have no doubt that he's gonna do whatever it takes to be on the field each week."

The same cannot be said for running back Stephfon Green, who's playing status for Saturday remains up in the air because of an ankle injury.

Paterno said Tuesday at his weekly news conference Green practiced some Monday and was anxious to see how Green would hold up during Tuesday's session.

"Green has got that ability to go all the way," Paterno said. "[Brandon] Beachum is not quite that kind of back, but he's strong and he finds the right hole. He's patient."

Beachum backed up starter Evan Royster the last two weeks in addition to his regular special team duties.

Dominant defenses

Paterno stated the obvious when asked what needs to be done going against a defense as good as Ohio State's.

Be precise. Mix things up. No foolish penalties.

Penn State and Ohio State rank one-two in the Big Ten in scoring defense, with neither giving up more than an average of 12 points a game.

On paper, it's looks like it could be a repeat of the defense-heavy game the Nittany Lions won 13-6 last year in Columbus.

Paterno never knows how a game will unfold Saturday regardless of trends from past matchups.

Still, the Buckeyes' defense is one of the best in the country, and the Lions must take advantage of every opportunity they get, Paterno said.

"Don't think we're gonna go in there and dominate the ballgame offensively," he said. "Nobody's done that really yet."

Top Pryor-ity

Buckeyes' quarterback Terrelle Pryor has taken heat from fans and the media about his slow progression in a pro-style offense.

But, Paterno called Pryor "overpowering" in recent games. Since coming up short at Purdue three weeks ago, Pryor has thrown for 374 yards, rushed for 187 yards and scored five touchdowns.

"It's not necessarily just keeping Pryor in the pocket," Paterno said. "It's a question of being able to have some kind of control so we can play some decent defense. If you don't do something to at least slow him down, you're never gonna be in the ballgame."