By GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.(AP) -- Joe Paterno's decision paid off.

After beating out two sophomores in a spirited preseason
competition for the starting quarterback job, true freshman Rob
Bolden rewarded his Hall of Fame coach's confidence Saturday
with 239 yards passing and two touchdowns in No. 19 Penn State's
44-14 rout of FCS school Youngstown State.

It was a promising debut for an 18-year-old making the first
start in a season opener for a true freshman quarterback in
Paterno's 45 years as head coach.

"He has got an arm, he's got a little poise, he did some things
a little better than the other guys on more occasions," Paterno
said. "There are days I came off the field not knowing who I
wanted to play."

It sure seems like Bolden has earned a start for next week's
showdown at top-ranked Alabama.

Not so fast, Paterno said.

"We're going to play it week by week, practice by practice and
hopefully come up with different situations, and we'll go from
there," said Paterno, seemingly exasperated at times by any
mention of the quarterback competition. "Whether that means
we'll have one quarterback all year, or three alternating, or
what, I really don't know right now."

Bolden finished 20 of 29 passing with one interception - and
that came after receiver Derek Moye slipped to the turf on his
route. Brett Brackett caught both of Bolden's TD passes and
finished with career highs of eight catches for 98 yards, while
Chaz Powell had a 100-yard kickoff return for a score to open a
decisive second half.

Youngstown State's own new quarterback, redshirt freshman Kurt
Hess, was impressive, too, going 21 of 25 passing for 189 yards
and two scores. One of those was off a screen to receiver
Dominique Barnes that turned into an 80-yard score to give the
Penguins a four-point lead late in the first quarter.

"It sent a message that we were here to play," said Youngstown
State's Eric Wolford, who lost his head-coaching debut. "We
practiced good all week and we believed we could win the
football game and we had the plays."

But Bolden settled in on offense, the defense settled down and
Penn State overwhelmed the Penguins with too much talent.

"Obviously we're disappointed. We had our opportunities and
didn't step up to the plate like we were supposed to," Wolford
said.

Nearly everyone after the game was asked about the new
quarterback - except for Bolden himself. Penn State typically
doesn't allow true freshman to talk to reporters, and with
Paterno trying to limit pressure on Bolden, it's unlikely he'll
be making the media rounds any time soon.

"He showed above and beyond what was expected with his poise and
confidence," said Brackett, the 6-foot-6 senior captain who
proved to be Bolden's favorite target.

With Penn State trailing 7-6, Bolden hit Derek Moye on a
third-and-10 for a 27-yard gain to the Penguins 41. Six plays
later, Brackett caught a strong throw over the middle at the 1,
eluded the grasp of safety Andre Elliott and burst into the end
zone for a 20-yard TD pass.

Unsettled early after missed tackles by the defense and a slow
start for the offensive line, the blue and white-clad fans at
Beaver Stadium breathed a collective sigh of relief.

It only got better from there for the Nittany Lions.

Collin Wagner kicked a 48-yard field goal - one of three
first-half field goals of over 40 yards - to close the first
half. Powell opened the second with his 100-yard kickoff return
dash to the end zone to make it 23-7. Youngstown State
challenged, but the play was upheld after a review.

Derrick Thomas leveled Youngstown State's Jamaine Cook at the 23
on the ensuing kickoff, a big hit that may have sparked a Penn
State defense that appeared to be sleepwalking at times early
on. The Penguins went three and out on their next drive, capped
by Chris Colasanti's big hit on a short pass over the middle to
Adaris Bellamy on third down.

Bolden then hit Brackett again on the next drive on a pretty
22-yard TD pass down the right sideline for a 30-7 lead with
8:56 in the third - and the Nittany Lions were well on their way
to a season-opening rout.

Paterno's son and quarterback coach Jay Paterno said Bolden's
poise and maturity in camp helped set him apart. He hinted that
Bolden should go into practice next week as the starter.

"Monday and Tuesday they're going to compete, and he'll run with
the (first team) I imagine. ... There's no reason for him not to
based on what we've seen," Jay Paterno said. "But we're still
going to compete every week.