PHILADELPHIA — If you're a football fan who loves offense, find something else to do at 3:30 p.m. Saturday rather than watch 11th-ranked Penn State test Ohio State, ranked 15th.

The Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes are 1-2 in the Big Ten Conference in the four major defensive categories (rushing, passing, total defense, and fewest points allowed). They are in the top 10 nationally in three of those classifications, and in the top 15 in pass defense.

The numbers point to a low-scoring, slug-'em-out battle at Beaver Stadium similar to the Lions' 13-6 victory last season, when the first turnover of the game, an Ohio State fumble recovered by linebacker Navorro Bowman in the fourth quarter, set up a touchdown drive that gave Penn State the lead for good.

That is, the numbers point to a similar outcome in the minds of most people, but not necessarily Joe Paterno's.

"I can't think that way," the Penn State coach said yesterday during his weekly teleconference. "We've got to play our game. Whether it turns out to be a tight, tough game or it's going to be determined by a turnover as the game was last year ... I have absolutely no way of knowing"

The defenses are without frills, basic units that just line up and punch opponents in the mouth on their way to stopping them.

With the Nittany Lions, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said, it's a matter of the names and numbers changing but the proficiency remaining the same.

"If you turned film on and didn't have a program in front of you, you couldn't guess which year it is, because they've been doing the same things very well," Tressel said Tuesday.

"Their general defensive philosophy is much the same: very strong up front, very difficult to run on much, don't give away easy plays in their secondary. Their linebackers are very, very disciplined and run extremely well."

Terrific defensive players dot both sides: tackle Jared Odrick, and Bowman and fellow linebackers Sean Lee and Josh Hull for the Nittany Lions, and safety Kurt Coleman, end Thaddeus Gibson, and linebackers Brian Rolle and Ross Homan for the Buckeyes.

"It's about working hard and doing whatever it takes to win," Lee said. "Sure, there's a friendly competition to see who has the best defense in the conference. We know Ohio State is up there every year. But it's about competing and finding ways to win."

It figures to be a stressful day for both quarterbacks — the Lions' Daryll Clark and the Buckeyes' Terrelle Pryor.

"It's one of the better defensive teams in the country," Paterno said. "They run really well, they're disciplined, they hit hard. You just have to have a balanced attack, and you have to take advantage of any opportunities you may get. But don't think we're going to go in there and dominate the game defensively. Nobody has done that yet."