STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Zack Mills ran for a touchdown,
caught a TD and threw two scoring passes to lead Penn State to
a 48-10 victory over Akron on Saturday in the season opener
for both teams.
The Nittany Lions quarterback became the first Penn State
player to accomplish the rare triple under Joe Paterno, who
started his 39th season as head coach with career victory 340.
Mills made it 14-3 with a 5-yard touchdown run with 50 seconds
left in the first quarter. The Nittany Lions then got the ball
back when Brett Biggs fumbled on the Zips' first play.
Michael Robinson stepped in at quarterback for Penn State,
rolled right and pump-faked, then threw a fade to Mills, who
made his first career catch in the corner of the end zone for
a 21-3 lead at the end of the first.
Mills returned the favor late in the second quarter, throwing
a 10-yard touchdown pass to Robinson on a play set up by Anwar
Phillips' 47-yard interception return -- the first of
Phillips' two interceptions.
It was Mills' second touchdown pass of the game, following a
17-yarder to Terrance Phillips earlier in the second.
The Nittany Lions led 41-3 at halftime.
Penn State's offense, which floundered throughout last year's
3-9 season, at times seemed unstoppable. Mills and Robinson
combined to complete 12 of 15 passes to a receiver corps that
earned a reputation for drops last year.
Tony Hunt rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown, and Austin
Scott rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Last year,
Paterno sidelined both players late in the season over
concerns about their experience.
Hunt -- freed up by a Robinson block -- ran 77 yards for a
touchdown and a 7-0 lead on Penn State's second play from
scrimmage.
Scott's touchdowns were a 1-yard leap over the top in the
second quarter, then a 3-yard option in the third.
Charlie Frye completed 29 of 36 passes for 223 yards, but
Akron didn't reach the end zone until late in the fourth
quarter, when Biggs rushed in from 1 yard out to make it
48-10.
The Zips had to settle for a field goal in the first quarter
after Frye was sacked on a third-and-goal from the 2-yard
line. Jason Swiger's 27-yard field goal made it 7-3.
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