PSUpride SCOREBOARD

Final Score 1 2 3 4 F
(0-1) Akron 3 0 0 7 10
(1-0) Penn State 21

20

7 0 48
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
TD 11:32 TONY HUNT 77 YD RUN (ROBBIE GOULD KICK)
FG 6:43 JASON SWIGER 27 YD FG
TD 0:50 ZACK MILLS 5 YD RUN (ROBBIE GOULD KICK)
TD 0:36 ZACK MILLS 18 YD PASS FROM MICHAEL ROBINSON (ROBBIE GOULD KICK)
2nd Quarter
TD 11:07 AUSTIN SCOTT 1 YD RUN (ROBBIE GOULD KICK)
TD 2:21 TERRANCE PHILLIPS 17 YD PASS FROM ZACK MILLS (MISSED KICK)
TD 0:50 MICHAEL ROBINSON 10 YD PASS FROM ZACK MILLS (ROBBIE GOULD KICK)
3rd Quarter
TD 10:18 AUSTIN SCOTT 3 YD RUN (ROBBIE GOULD KICK)
4th Quarter
TD 6:17 BRETT BIGGS 1 YD RUN (JASON SWIGER KICK)

 


PSU Zips Past Akron, 48-10


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.

 

 


Penn State Team Statistics


 

Team Statistics
  Akron Penn State
First Downs 20 27
Rushing 7 16
Passing 10 9
Penalty 3 2
3rd-Down efficiency 6-13-46% 5-10-50%
4th-Down efficiency 1-1-100% 1-2-50%
Total net yards 295 545
Total plays 69 65
Average gain 4.3 8.4
Net yards rushing 72 352
Rushes 31 41
Average per rush 2.3 8.6
Net yards passing 223 193
Completed-attempted 29-36 16-23
Yards per pass 5.9 8.0
Sacked-yards lost 2--12 1--5
Had intercepted 2 0
Return Yardage 0 53
Punts-returns 0-0 1-6
Kickoffs-returns 3-36 3-41
Interceptions-returns 0-0 2-47
Penalties-yards 7-57 8-74
Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0
Time of Possession 28:48 31:12

 

INDIVIDUAL GAME STATISTICS

 

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS

PASSING
  CP/AT YDS TD INT
Z Mills 9/11 108 2 0
M Robinson 3/4 42 1 0
A Morelli 2/6 23 0 0
C Ganter 2/2 20 0 0

 

RUSHING
  ATT YDS AVG TD
T Hunt 8 137 17.1 1
A Scott 11 116 10.5 2
R Kinlaw 7 50 7.1 0
Z Mills 3 22 7.3 1
M Gasparato 6 16 2.7 0
M Robinson 4 16 4.0 0
P Jefferson 1 0 0.0 0
C Ganter 1 -5 -5.0 0

 

RECEIVING
  REC YDS AVG TD
G Smith 4 48 12.0 0
M Robinson 3 35 11.7 1
I Smolko 1 19 19.0 0
Z Mills 1 18 18.0 1
T Phillips 1 17 17.0 1
V Surma 1 15 15.0 0
T Golden 1 14 14.0 0
P Jefferson 1 9 9.0 0
B Perretta 1 8 8.0 0
J Lyons 1 6 6.0 0
T Hunt 1 4 4.0 0

 

KICK RETURNS
  NO. YDS AVG TD
B Perretta 2 41 20.5 0
T Hunt 1 0 0.0 0

 

PUNT RETURNS
  NO. YDS AVG TD
C Lowry 1 6 6.0 0

 

INTERCEPTIONS
  NO. YDS AVG TD
A Phillips 2 47 23.5 0

 

AKRON ZIPS

PASSING
  CP/AT YDS TD INT
C Frye 29/36 223 0 2

 

RUSHING
  ATT YDS AVG TD
B Biggs 7 25 3.6 1
J Ringer 9 23 2.6 0
C Frye 10 17 1.7 0
J Arthur 1 7 7.0 0
F Berchie 3 4 1.3 0
J Montgomery 1 -4 -4.0 0

 

RECEIVING
  REC YDS AVG TD
J Arthur 8 61 7.6 0
D Hixon 8 59 7.4 0
M Ellington 5 38 7.6 0
J Montgomery 4 35 8.8 0
B Biggs 2 21 10.5 0
J Ringer 1 9 9.0 0
D Basch 1 0 0.0 0

 

KICK RETURNS
  NO. YDS AVG TD
J Goodwin 2 25 12.5 0
B Biggs 1 11 11.0 0

 

PUNT RETURNS
  NO. YDS AVG TD
No Returns        

 

INTERCEPTIONS
  NO. YDS AVG TD
No Interceptions