Almost everyone agrees that Saturday afternoon's nationally televised Big Ten showdown between No. 11 Penn State (8-1, 4-1) and Ohio State (7-2, 4-1) in Beaver Stadium will be another low-scoring war of attrition, settled in the trenches by straining giants.

The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are ranked first and second in the conference in virtually every team defensive category, which suggests another round of smash-mouth football.

"Whoever's offensive line does the best job of controlling the defense is going to win," Penn State senior left tackle Dennis Landolt said.

The opposing view, of course, is that whoever's defensive line does the best job of controlling the offense is going to win. The objective is the same, but the path to that common goal is often altered by perspective.

It is axiomatic that offensive linemen and defensive linemen are, well, different. The prevailing image of o-linemen is that of orderly types who knot their ties just so, hang their clothes neatly and are very good at following directions. The best blocking fronts are all about cohesion.

D-linemen are rumpled, wild-eyed reactionaries. Oh, sure, there are general scripts they are asked to memorize, but rewrites of the game plan can occur on every snap.

"A mental component? I'm not sure," Penn State senior defensive tackle Jared Odrick said when asked what ultimately determines whether a lineman more suited to offense or defense.

"As a defensive lineman, you always want to play fast, reckless. If a play goes in the opposite direction or if something happens that you weren't expecting, you have to be able to react and adjust.

"On offense, you know the play that's been called. You know the snap count. You see where the defense is lined up. You have to react on offense, but not nearly as much as you do on defense."

The 6-5, 306-pound Odrick is a bundle of combustible energy. Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley and d-line coach Larry Johnson both call him the best three-technique player in the country.

Odrick has played defense since he arrived in Happy Valley in 2006, but part of the reason for Penn State's tradition of success is that the veteran coaching staff is astute at making position changes that bring out the best in every player.

Levi Brown was an All-America left tackle at Penn State and the Arizona Cardinals' first-round draft choice in 2007, but the 6-5, 328-pounder acknowledged being disappointed when he was told, after redshirting as a freshman in 2002, that he was switching to offense.

"Levi wanted to be a defensive tackle, so I can see where he was upset," Odrick said. "But I'm pretty sure he's not upset now."