UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State's past five trips to Michigan have been big busts.

The Nittany Lions' offense has managed only 69 points in those five losses and their defense has surrendered 128.

The previous time Penn State won in Ann Arbor, Mich. -- a 29-17 triumph on Nov. 16, 1996 -- Wally Richardson was the starting quarterback.

Coach Joe Paterno owns a 1-0 mark against Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, but Paterno is 4-10 against the Wolverines, including 2-5 on the road.

The Big House has produced a lot of bitter memories for Paterno and No. 13 Penn State (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten), which returns there Saturday to play Michigan (5-2, 1-2).

"I think we've played good, competitive football the times we've been there; they were just better than we were," Paterno said yesterday at his weekly news conference. "I don't think it's particularly a tough place to play."

Penn State's past three losses at Michigan have been gut-wrenching, and the Lions were ranked each time.

In 2002, tailback Chris Perry scored on a 3-yard run in overtime to lift the Wolverines to a 27-24 win.

In '05, quarterback Chad Henne's 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mario Manningham with no time left on the clock carried Michigan to a 27-25 upset victory against the previously unbeaten Lions.

In '07, tailback Mike Hart ran for 153 yards on a career-high 44 carries and scored early in the fourth quarter, leading Michigan past Penn State, 14-9.

"I don't really want to talk about '05," said fifth-year defensive end Jerome Hayes, who made the trip to Ann Arbor that season as a redshirt. "That last-second play to Manningham was a heartbreaker."

After going 3-9 a year ago -- Rodriguez's first season after leaving West Virginia to replace Lloyd Carr, who owned a 9-2 record against Paterno -- Michigan's once-proud program appears to be back on track. The Wolverines are 5-0 at home this year, including a 38-34 win against then-No. 18 Notre Dame.

"Rich Rodriguez, I know, got a lot of flak last year, but they're doing a heck of a job this year," Paterno said. "Those kids are playing well, been in every ball game, so I don't think this takes any extra motivation, nor do we think about what's happened there before."

Paterno said Michigan's freshman starting quarterback, Tate Forcier, reminds him somewhat of Florida's Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner.

"I think he's a kid that's got a little bit of something about him," Paterno said. "He reminds me a little bit of the kid Tebow. He's got a little bit of that, but he has a little more finesse -- he's not just a power player.

"He has that confidence, that leadership quality."

The Lions, 5-1 on the road the past two seasons, could be without backup tailback Stephfon Green. He injured his ankle in the second quarter of Saturday's game against Minnesota and did not return.

"Green has a chronic ankle that gets loose on him once in a while," Paterno said. "We're going to see if he can do something, but he would be a 'maybe' situation, and obviously that would be a big loss for us if he can't go."

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NOTES -- Paterno is featured in an eight-page spread in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, which hits newsstands today. ... A video has surfaced of Goldy Gopher, Minnesota's mascot, mocking Hayes as he prayed in the end zone before Saturday's game. Hayes said he had his face covered and "didn't really pay to much attention to it." But when he started to get up to leave, the mascot tried to shake his hand. "I wasn't having any part of that -- I just walked away," Hayes said. Then, after Hayes started to walk away, a Minnesota cheerleader can be seen giving Goldy a high-five. "That's part of the game," Hayes said. "That's the way I look at it. We won." ... Paterno said he expects third-string tailback Brent Carter (knee) to return Saturday after missing the past two games. ... Paterno said he's not sure who would start at left cornerback -- A.J. Wallace or Knowledge Timmons. ... With Nerraw McCormack (ankle) still sub-par, Paterno plans to stick with Ako Poti at right tackle.

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