Victor Hobson was exposed to Penn State football at a young age.

As a spectator sitting in front of a television at home in Mount Laurel, Burlington County.

As a star linebacker at St. Joseph's Prep, where he pillaged Philadelphia Catholic League opponents with bone-rattling tackles and became a target of coach Joe Paterno's recruiting effort.

Now a senior linebacker at Michigan, where he leads the Wolverines in tackles and is among the finest defensive players in the Big Ten Conference, the 6-foot-1, 244-pound Hobson has been an integral part of a defense that has held the Nittany Lions to a grand total of one touchdown in the last two meetings - last season's 20-0 shutout and a 33-11 thumping in 2000.

But when Hobson kicked back Saturday to watch the Penn State-Wisconsin game with some teammates, Hobson saw a Nittany Lions offense he might never have imagined. Shotgun formations. Option pitches. Quarterback draws. Receivers spread out all over the turf. Zack Mills, Penn State's quarterback, throwing blocks. Twenty-some passes in the first half. Tricks and other assorted treats.

Did he ever dream he'd live to see the day when Paterno went space age? The low-key Hobson offered a slight chuckle.

"It's an interesting offensive philosophy," he said early this week while the No. 13 Wolverines (4-1, 1-0), idle last Saturday, began preparations for Saturday's critical conference game against Penn State (4-1, 1-1) at Michigan Stadium. "They're making big plays. They spread you out and keep switching personnel to keep you off guard. It's just a good offensive philosophy that attacks different defensive schemes.

"It's a compliment to their coaching staff and to Coach Paterno. They're running plays according to the talent they have, and they have the talent that allows them to do all that stuff."

After each Michigan-Penn State game that has involved Hobson, he and Paterno sought out each other to exchange pleasantries. Hobson's respect for Paterno grew the day he swallowed hard and notified him he had chosen Michigan over Penn State. Hobson said Paterno told him he'd made a great choice and was confident he'd have a wonderful experience in Ann Arbor.

Maybe Saturday, Paterno will be the one smiling during the postgame handshake. It's yet to happen. The Wolverines have beaten the Nittany Lions five years in a row. Only one of those games was decided by fewer than 20 points.

Predictably, Hobson sees no connection between the past and Saturday. That's largely because he sees no connection between this year's Penn State offense and the one that never made it to the end zone a year ago in Happy Valley. It was the first time Penn State had been blanked at home since Paterno became head coach in 1966.

"They're obviously passing the ball very well and running the ball very well," Hobson said. "You just have to prepare for anything. If you center on one particular thing, that can get you in trouble."

In five games, Penn State is averaging more than 150 yards and 23 points more than it averaged over five games last year. The main reason is the lefthanded Mills, who sprained his left shoulder but stayed in the game to lead the 34-31 win over Wisconsin. Another reason is tailback Larry Johnson, who left the game in the third quarter with a pulled hamstring. He is averaging 153 yards a game running and receiving and has nine TDs.

Paterno said yesterday during his weekly teleconference that he expects Mills and Johnson to be ready Saturday. Concerning injuries, that's about as specific as he gets. "Zack practiced a little [on Monday]. Obviously, Zack continued to play [against Wisconsin]," Paterno said. "I think Larry could have. We've told Larry to take it easy."

It's likely Michigan's Dan Rumishek, the 6-4, 277-pound defensive end who was dominant against Penn State last year, won't show the same compassion for Mills and Johnson. Like Hobson, Rumishek sees a much greater challenge in this year's Penn State offense, which ranks 17th among 117 Division I-A teams in total yardage (435.8 a game) and 20th in scoring (37.0 points a game).

"They're capable of blowing us out with all the weapons they have," Rumishek said.

"And we know they want to beat us really bad. This is the first time all year we'll see an offense like this. They're in a lot of shotgun, one-back sets. They spread you out and try to run the ball down your throat. They have a running quarterback who can throw the ball extremely well. [Mills] is a tough kid. You've got to admire someone who keeps bouncing up after tough hits, especially on that Wisconsin turf."

Did Rumishek ever expect to see so many variations from a Penn State offense?

"I don't think so," he said. "Joe Paterno's been there forever and he always sticks to his guns, but it's working for him. I won't say it's a shock, but it's something different."