Two of the elite teams in the Big Ten will meet head-to-head on Saturday when the Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Ann Arbor to take on the defending conference champion Michigan Wolverines. It's up to Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to come up with a strategy that will slow down the home team.

The Nittany Lions (5-0) are the 10th-ranked team in the nation, while the Wolverines  (6-0) hold down the No. 5 spot. Michigan is a 7-point favorite in the noon (ET) matchup that will be televised nationally by Fox.

The Wolverines are a run-heavy team that features likely Heisman Trophy contender Blake Corum, who has rushed for 735 yards, a 6.2 yards-per-carry average and 11 rushing touchdowns. Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is likely to employ a strategy that may seem counter to stopping a team with a powerful running game.

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Diaz sees the strength of his defense as the play of the defensive backs. He may have as many as seven defensive back on the field at the same time because Penn State has so many talented secondary players.

Many of the key statistics bear out the strength of Penn State's play against the pass. The Nittany Lions lead the nation in pass breakups with 51, rank third in completion percentage allowed at 49.6 percent, and are first in the Big Ten with a plus-6 edge in turnovers.

The key to Penn State's defensive game plan against Michigan is likely to be the overall efficiency on first and second downs. If Penn State can keep Michigan from dominating in the running game, the Nittany Lions are likely to have a huge advantage with their defensive back deployment in key passing situations.