STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Joe Paterno doesn’t have an instant fix what might be ailing the Penn State offense.

So he’s hoping that, with more experience and practice, the Nittany Lions can clean up their mistakes and come up with the big play that can boost the offense.

“I think we have been pretty good as far as being productive. We just haven’t been able to put the ball in the end zone because of mistakes we have made,” Paterno said Tuesday. “I think we can get a little better feel for when we have an opportunity not to blow it. That is the kind of thing we have to overcome.”

Their first shot to fix things comes Saturday when Northwestern, playing its first Big Ten game, visits Penn State (2-2, 0-1).

Last year, the offense gained confidence after coming from behind to beat the Wildcats on the road behind big pass plays, including a clutch fourth-quarter throw by since-graduated Michael Robinson on a fourth-and-19 play that set up the game-winning touchdown pass.

Anthony Morelli now plays quarterback, and Paterno hopes that the first-year starter can rebound after throwing two late-game interceptions that were returned for TDs last week against top-ranked Ohio State.

“Robinson was able to get us back. One of these days Morelli will do that,” Paterno said. “There is no one thing that is going to do it. There is no magic wand that now all of a sudden we can do things. We have to just keep working at it.”