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FACTS & STATS: Site: Memorial Stadium (52,354) -- Bloomington, Indiana. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Penn State 2-1, Indiana 1-1. Away Record: Penn State 1-0, Indiana 0-1. Neutral Record: Penn State 0-0, Indiana 0-1. Conference Record: Penn State 0-0, Indiana 0-0. Series Record: Penn State leads, 14-0.

GAME NOTES: The Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Bloomington for this weekend's Big Ten opener against the Indiana Hoosiers, a team Joe Paterno's club has never lost to.

Penn State is 14-0 all-time against Indiana, and the Nittany Lions cruised past the Hoosiers last season by a 41-24 final.

The Nittany Lions come into Big Ten play with a 3-1 record after winning their last two outings. Most recently, the club crushed Eastern Michigan as expected by a 34-6 final. The lone loss came to Alabama, one of the nation's truly elite teams.

As for Indiana, it has managed just one victory thus far, and that triumph came over South Carolina State, an FCS opponent. The three losses thus far have come by a total of 13 points, including a 24-21 setback at North Texas last weekend.

Through four games, Penn State has scored an even 100 points, giving the club an average of 25.0 ppg. The Nittany Lions are generating 346.5 total ypg and are led by the quarterback duo of Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin. Bolden has only completed 46.5 percent of his passes with one touchdown and three interceptions, while McGloin, although less mobile, has hit 63 percent of his throws with three scores and no picks.

Derek Moye paces the Penn State receivers with 20 catches for 285 yards and two touchdowns, while Silas Redd has rushed for 303 yards and four scores to pace the ground attack.

Against Eastern Michigan, Penn State registered four touchdowns, all through the air, and totaled 468 yards of offense. McGloin was a surgical 14-of-17 for 220 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Moye had two receiving scores, while Devon Smith racked up 104 yards and a touchdown on three catches.

While the Penn State offense is rather mediocre by most accounts, the team's defense is certainly the stronger of the two units. The Nittany Lions are holding foes to 12.5 ppg while permitting a mere 249.0 total ypg. They have already generated nine turnovers, including five interceptions, and are limiting opponents to 2.8 yards per carry.

Maintaining those numbers will be difficult, however, as Penn State starting outside linebacker Michael Mauti will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a serious knee injury in last Saturday's victory over Eastern Michigan. A pre-season First Team All-Big Ten choice and Butkus Award candidate, Mauti entered the Eastern Michigan game with a team-high 20 tackles and tied for the team lead with three TFL.

In last week's game, the defense permitted just two field goals, both of which came in the fourth quarter. PSU allowed a meager 270 total yards to Eastern Michigan and came up with three takeaways.

Challenging the Penn State defense this week will be Indiana, which is generating 27.5 ppg and 413.8 total ypg. The Hoosiers have struggled a bit to run the ball consistently, as they are gaining a mere 3.5 yards per carry. That puts added pressure on sophomore quarterback Edward Wright-Baker to carry the offensive load. Wright-Baker has connected on 62 percent of his passes for 925 yards and four touchdowns against two interceptions, but he does have stiff competition from backup Dusty Kiel.

Keep an eye on Kofi Hughes and Duwyce Wilson, a pair of big-play receivers with two touchdowns apiece. Last week against North Texas, both pass catchers scored, only it wasn't Wright-Baker who delivered those scoring strikes. He was replaced by Kiel, who led a late rally that almost prevented the disappointing defeat. It will be interesting to see if both quarterbacks play this weekend.

Opponents are posting 26.5 ppg and 386.8 total ypg against Indiana, which has yielded 12 touchdowns to opposing offenses. The Hoosiers are giving up 189.8 rushing ypg while allowing 12.3 yards per pass completion. Jeff Thomas paces the Hoosier defense with 31 total tackles, including four TFL.

Indiana allowed 427 total yards to North Texas, including 226 on the ground. Sure, the Hoosiers came up with three takeaways, but the overall defensive effort wasn't good enough to avoid defeat.

Although Indiana has the obvious advantage of playing this game at home, Penn State is the better of the two teams and will get the job done. Expect a solid defensive performance by the Nittany Lions, who will hold the Hoosiers in check.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Penn State 28, Indiana 13