Except that four guys who, in their own way, paid the price for victory won't be there. Only 70 players are on the travel squad for road games, and when the list is posted in the Lasch Building today, these four names aren't likely to be on it. Then again, with one exception, they haven't been all season.

Patrick Mauti.

Larry Ryland.

Matt McGloin.

Jamie Van Fleet.

They're mostly anonymous walk-ons, Rudy-types who give up their bodies in practice throughout the week and then watch from the sidelines (for home games) or from their dormitory or apartment rooms (for road contests) as their more celebrated teammates reap the benefits of their labors on the scout team.

"If I have to watch the game in my apartment with some of the guys, that's fine. We'll root on our team in any case," said Mauti, a redshirt junior wide receiver who at least is listed in the Penn State media directory, which is more than can be said of the other three players who this week played the roles of celebrity impersonators.

College coaching staffs minimize the risk of injury to key players through the use of scout teams, or, as Penn State calls it, the foreign team. Walk-ons or scholarship players well down on the depth chart are asked to play the role of the opposing team's stars. The better the impersonations, the better prepared their teammates are to deal with the real thing on game day.

Not that it's easy for a walk-on linebacker who hasn't yet made it onto the field in an actual game, which is what Van Fleet is, to be all that convincing as the stand-in for Wells, who entered the season as the Heisman Trophy favorite until he incurred a toe injury that sidelined him for 3 1/2 games. As it is, the 240-pound Wells still is averaging 123.8 rushing yards and 6.1 yards per carry.

At least the 6-foot, 219-pound Van Fleet is a comparatively big body. There really isn't anyone available for foreign-team duty who's anything close to a physical match to the 6-6, 230-pound Pryor, a true freshman who was the most hotly recruited player in the country last season out of Jeannette High in western Pennsylvania. Pryor looks a lot like former Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham, a lanky loper who can beat you with his arm or his legs.

"It looks like he's not going that fast, but he really is," Penn State cornerback Tony Davis said of Pryor's seemingly effortless running style.

Enter the 5-10, 189-pound Mauti, from Mandeville, La., and the 5-9, 170-pound Ryland, a freshman from State College, who act as Pryor on running plays. McGloin, a 6-1, 190-pound freshman quarterback from Scranton, makes like Pryor primarily on passing plays.

"Pat's a real quick guy," Lions defensive tackle Jared Odrick said of Mauti, an option quarterback his last two seasons in high school. "He may not have the same size as Pryor, but he can give you a lot of looks, being able to scramble and run the option."

For Mauti, son of former Penn State wide receiver Rich Mauti and brother of true freshman linebacker (and emerging star) Michael Mauti, any opportunity to contribute is something to be cherished, even if it goes unnoticed by the general public.

"You have to be a team player," said Mauti, who was on the travel squad to Syracuse. "If not, college football is not the place for you. Everyone here is a team-first player. You never hear anybody in practice or in the locker room say, 'Give me the ball, I need more touches.' It's all about team. That's what Joe [Paterno] preaches to us, and I think that's why we've been so successful."

Not that Mauti wasn't familiar with the Penn State way before he arrived on campus in 2005.

"It's been one of my dreams to follow in my dad's footsteps," Mauti said.

Perhaps he'll get the opportunity to see more significant action in 2009, his final season of eligibility.

"This is my fourth year on the scout team," noted Mauti, who also has mimicked Illinois quarterback Juice Williams. "It's a little tough. I thought I had a pretty good [preseason] camp, then I injured my shoulder against Temple and wasn't able to practice full-speed for 3 1/2 weeks.

"I'd like to be playing more, but I have three of the greatest receivers in Penn State history [seniors Deon Butler, Derrick Williams and Jordan Norwood] in front of me. I can learn from them. I have learned from them. I'm OK with waiting my turn."

3 things to look for

* A few more blitzes and stunts by the Penn State defense, which is committed to being especially aggressive against Ohio State's huge offensive line.

* Penn State to stay away from, as much as possible, Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, a 4-year starter who had a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Buckeyes' 37-17 victory over the Lions last season.

This week's game

Tomorrow, 8 p.m.

Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

TV: Channel 6

Radio: WNTP (990-AM)

History: Ohio State leads, 12-11, including last year's 37-17 victory in Beaver Stadium. The home team has won 12 of 15 meetings since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993, but the Buckeyes are 7-0 against the Nittany Lions in Ohio Stadium, during which they've won by an average margin of 28-7.

Coaches: Joe Paterno (43rd year, 380-125-3); Jim Tressel (eighth year at school, 80-17; 23rd year overall, 215-74-2)

Penn State update: What goes around, comes around. Embarrassed by the 63-14 whipping Penn State put on Ohio State in 1994, the Buckeyes have sought and gotten payback in winning all seven games since in Ohio Stadium. They won 38-7 in 1996 and 45-6 in 2000, which remains the most onesided loss in Joe Paterno's 43 years as a head coach ... Tailback Evan Royster, coming off a career-high 174 rushing yards on just 18 carries in last week's 46-17 rout of Michigan, said the wisecracking attitudes of center A.Q. Shipley and guard Rich Ohrnberger help the offense from getting too uptight ... Thanks to 51 big plays of 20 or more yards, 17 of the Lions' touchdown drives have consisted of five or fewer plays ... Kevin Kelly's 43 points-after-touchdown this season are 14 more than any other kicker in the Big Ten.

Ohio State update: This will be the first night home game for the Buckeyes since they lost to Texas, 25-22, on Sept. 10, 2005. "We need to make [Ohio Stadium] a sea of red," coach Jim Tressel said in calling for a "Red-Out" against the Lions ... Ohio State is 26-2 in Big Ten games since 2005 and is hoping to become the first team in the conference's 103-year history to win three consecutive outright league titles ... Michigan State's workhorse tailback, Javon Ringer, was limited to a season-low 67 yards on 16 carries in the Buckeyes' 45-7 rout last week. That can't be good news for Penn State, and neither is the fact Ohio State forced the Spartans into five turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions) ... Amazing stat: In seven Big Ten games against Penn State in Ohio Stadium, the Lions have scored only eight touchdowns overall, and none passing.

Prediction