PENN STATE-NEBRASKA Struggling traditional powers clash tonight

The Nittany Lions and Cornhuskers need a big winin TV battle.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Penn State and Nebraska are two of the most successful college football programs of all time, with seven national championships between them since 1970.
Yet the aura of tonight's prime-time television match-up is tempered by the fact that these traditional powers are struggling to regain their status among the elite.
"We need big wins," Nebraska coach Frank Solich said. "We need wins against quality opponents. And, of course, this is one."
The quality of Penn State (1-1) is in its name only right now. The Nittany Lions rebounded from back-to-back losing seasons to go 9-4 last year. But they struggled on both sides of the ball in opening this season with a win over Temple and a loss to Boston College.
No. 18 Nebraska (2-0), coming off a 7-7 season that was its worst since 1961, has used strong defensive efforts to beat Oklahoma State and Utah State. But the Cornhuskers' offense under new coordinator Barney Cotton has been sluggish and mistake prone.
Paterno's view
Penn State coach Joe Paterno, whose program is 21-21 since late 1999, takes exception to the doom and gloom surrounding his team. He pointed out that since opening the 2001 season 0-4, the Lions hadn't lost a game by more than a touchdown before last week's 27-14 setback to Boston College.
"I think we've played really good football consistently," Paterno said. "Last year we had a heck of a football team. I can't seem to get that across to people."
But the Lions lost 12 starters from a year ago, including four first-round NFL draft picks and two second-rounders.
There are 10 new starters, including all five on the offensive line. After they play Nebraska, the Lions play host to Kent State and then open the Big Ten schedule with challenging home games against Minnesota and Wisconsin.
"It's early in the year, but we're kind of at a crossroads," linebacker Gino Capone said. "If we win, we're 2-1, we go back home and we've got some momentum. If we lose, then we're in a downswing and we're still trying to find ourselves."
Slide into mediocrity
Nebraska's 40-7 loss at Penn State last September started the Huskers' slide into mediocrity.
"I definitely expect Nebraska to be prepared for us," defensive tackle John Bronson said. "I know we're a target on their schedule. They're working pretty hard to get back at us for what we did to them."
Nebraska looked at last year's nationally televised game at Penn State as a way to atone for its embarrassing performance the previous January in the national title Rose Bowl game against Miami.
Instead, the Huskers' reputation took another hit with the loss at Penn State, and they fell out of the Top 25 after a loss at Iowa State the following week.
After the season, Solich broke up one of the most tenured coaching staffs in the nation and hired six new assistants.
The reviews are mixed so far.
Under defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, the Cardinal Mooney High graduate, the Huskers have allowed only two touchdowns and rank fifth nationally in yards allowed (210.5) and in turnover margin (plus-2 a game).