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FACTS & STATS: Site: Beaver Stadium (106,572) -- University Park, Pennsylvania. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: EMU 2-0, PSU 1-1. Away Record: EMU 0-1, PSU 1-0. Neutral Record: EMU 0-0, PSU 0-0. Conference Record: EMU 0-0, PSU 0-0. Series Record: Penn State leads, 1-0.

GAME NOTES: The Penn State Nittany Lions are set to host the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium, in what will be the final non- league tune up for both teams before opening their respective conference schedules.

The Nittany Lions did everything they could to lose last Saturday's contest against Temple, but they were able to overcome a number of miscues to pull out a narrow 14-10 victory. A week earlier, the Nittany Lions suffered their first loss of the season against third-ranked Alabama, and they perhaps lacked the necessary intensity entering the Keystone State showdown with the Owls. Penn State opens Big Ten play next weekend at Indiana.

Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan is hoping to rebound from its first loss, a 31-3 setback to Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Eagles opened their season with a pair of wins over FCS schools but had trouble with the bigger, faster Wolverines. EMU will travel to Akron for its Mid-American Conference lidlifter a week from Saturday.

These teams have met just once before, with the Nittany Lions claiming a 52-7 win at Beaver Stadium back in 1991.

Since putting up 41 points in a season-opening home win against an overmatched Howard squad, EMU's offense has struggled to put points on the board. Two weeks ago, the Eagles rode their ground game to mask a sub par effort by junior quarterback Alex Gillett, who completed only 7-of-19 passes for 61 yards. And last Saturday against Michigan, Gillett completed only 3-of-5 passes for 29 yards. Granted, Gillett's biggest contributions come from his legs, as he ran for 61 yards against Michigan and has averaged 70 rushing yards through three games. Still, the Eagles can ill-afford to be one- dimensional against a team of Penn State's caliber. Running backs Javonti Greene and Dominique Sherrer will continue to be heavily utilized, as both are averaging an identical 115 rushing yards per contest. However, Gillett will need to make some plays with his arm in order to keep the Nittany Lions from crowding the box.

On the other side of the ball, the Eagles have allowed only 47 points through three games, 31 of which were scored by Michigan in their latest outing. Just like most of Michigan's opponents, EMU struggled to contain athletic quarterback Denard Robinson, the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Robinson threw for two touchdowns and also ran for 198 yards and a score. Michigan's Vincent Smith added 118 rushing yards on only nine carries, as the Wolverines gashed EMU's defense for 376 yards (7.5 ypc) on the ground. The Eagles allowed Michigan to rack up 24 first downs and 471 total yards for the game, as the Wolverines were able to convert 9-of-14 third downs and scored touchdowns on four of their five trips to the red zone. Justin Cudworth registered a team-high nine tackles in the loss, while Willie Williams and Marcus English had eight stops apiece. Through three games, Cudworth paces the unit with 28 tackles, including 4.5 for loss.

Three games are in the books, and Penn State's offense is a major cause for concern in Happy Valley. Coach Joe Paterno has alternated quarterbacks between Matt McGloin and Rob Bolden, although both have largely struggled. That duo has combined for just 474 yards (158.0 per game), no touchdowns, two interceptions and an 85.21 passing efficiency, which ranks 115th in the nation. The Nittany Lions rank 103rd nationally in total offense (306 ypg) and 106th in passing offense. Against Temple, Penn State somehow pulled out a victory despite erratic quarterback play, two missed field goals, a blocked punt and a blocked field goal, and a touchdown called back because of a penalty. PSU took its first and only lead on Michael Zordich's one-yard touchdown run with 2:42 remaining, ensuring the Lions would not lose to Temple for the first time since 1941. Silas Redd was once again effective on the ground with 86 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries (5.4 ypc), giving him 255 rushing yards and four TDs after three games. However, without a productive passing attack, the Nittany Lions can expect to see extra defenders in the box as opponents try to take away their best offensive option.

On the other hand, Penn State's defense has been consistently stingy. The Nittany Lions held Alabama 116 yards below its season average in their meeting two weekends ago. So far on the year, PSU ranks ninth nationally in total defense (242 ypg) and 25th in scoring defense (14.7 ppg), with the bulk of the damage inflicted by Alabama. In their last outing, the Nittany Lions held Temple's standout running back Bernard Pierce to 50 yards on 17 carries (2.9 ypc), after Pierce had run for just under 300 yards with six touchdowns over his first two games. All told, they limited the Owls to 197 total yards for the game. That said, the defense had two fourth-quarter interceptions gift- wrapped by Temple quarterback Mike Gerardi, who also lost a fumble on the final drive at the Penn State 34. Michael Mauti notched one of those interceptions and finished with a team-high six tackles, including three for loss. Devon Still also had six stops and a sack on the day.

Until they get more out of the quarterback position, the Nittany Lions could be looking at a long year in the Big Ten. But this week, their stout defense and effective running attack should be plenty to put away the visiting Eagles.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Penn State 38, Eastern Michigan 7