The Nittany Lions have rarely had a shortage of good linebackers, and that's obviously the case this year. Penn State took Tim Shaw, its starting middle linebacker and pretty decent NFL prospect, and made him a glorified defensive end in order to get Sean Lee on the field.

Lee goes to the outside and All-American Paul Posluszny moves to the middle, giving Penn State what every defensive coordinator wants -- his best 11 players on the field. In Saturday's win over Akron, the new plan worked to perfection.

Dan Connor, playing on the other side of Posluszny, was the Big Ten's defensive player of the week with 13 tackles, 3 1/2 for loss and two sacks, Shaw had two sacks and two pass breakups, while Lee had six tackles.

"He played awesome," Connor said of Lee. "He's a great player. I knew it last year. In the Orange Bowl, he got to step in there and we didn't miss a beat. He has a ton of talent."

Penn State's new-look defense will receive a stern test from the Irish, owners of arguably the most high-powered offense in the country. In a weekend of big games, this clash between two BCS teams from last year ranks right near the top.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Anthony Morelli looked good in his first game as the starting quarterback, but there are still plenty of questions to answer surrounding the Nittany Lions' offense. Namely: Why did Tony Hunt, a 1,000-yard rusher last year, get held to 36 yards on 14 carries? Was it Akron's insistence on playing eight in the box or is it something deeper than that? The answer might come this week against Notre Dame. Penn State has the passing game to score points, but Hunt must get back to looking like the back he was last year for Penn State to be successful.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Whether it's called a 4-3 or a 3-4, it certainly looks effective. Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor and Tim Shaw were enough to give Penn State the best set of linebackers in the conference -- and perhaps the country -- but Shaw has been transformed into a defensive end to make way for sophomore Sean Lee, who presumably will remain in the starting lineup as long as he's in Happy Valley.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's been tough. I'm still learning. Anytime you make a big adjustment like that, it's tough." -- Penn State's Tim Shaw, on his transition from middle linebacker to defensive end

THIS WEEK'S GAME: The Irish and Nittany Lions haven't met since 1992, when Rick Mirer found Reggie Brooks in the end zone for a two-point conversion and a dramatic 17-16 win in South Bend. Overall, the series is deadlocked 8-8-1. If it weren't for No. 1 playing No. 2 Saturday night in Austin, Texas, this could easily be the game of the week. Notre Dame's offense was slowed by Georgia Tech Saturday night in Atlanta, forcing the Irish to slip from second to third in the nation. But the Irish's defense looked much improved over last year, and their offense is probably the most potent in the nation.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Anthony Morelli -- Looked good early in his debut as a starter last week but became sloppy and careless as the game wore on. That could be attributed to the big lead. Although he did it alone against Akron, Morelli is going to need his running game this year -- probably this week.

LB Dan Connor -- A suspension forced him out of the lineup at the start of last year, but Connor was the most disruptive force on the field last week. The linebackers are at their best when they're allowed to just run around and make plays. That happened last week.

ROSTER REPORT: WR A.J. Wallace -- The freshman receiver ran a reverse 42 yards and had two kickoff returns for 95 yards against Akron. If they can find room for him on the field, his role will only grow.

WR Jordan Norwood -- Had a career-high seven catches against Akron, including his first touchdown. Like Wallace, there are only so many spots for receivers. But Norwood, a sophomore, adds depth and could eventually get a look.

RB Austin Scott -- Still out with an ankle injury. His return is unknown.