The Nittany Lions pair combined to go 11 of 18 passing for 242 yards, including two Thompson touchdown tosses.

"Today, the offense felt comfortable enough with the both of us," Casey said. "It didn't seem like the offense missed a beat when either one of us is out there.

"That's what we have to keep going all year."

Those stats nipped the output of Smith and Jenkins, who combined went 25-of-35 passing for 232 yards and no touchdowns.

Smith and Jenkins, national poster boys for the increasingly popular two-man system, posted gaudy numbers in the first half. Together they went 14 of 15 for 141 yards.

But the Wildcats offensive line gave up four Penn State sacks, and the Lions methodically marched to a 31-0 halftime lead.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno, ever cautious when it comes to lavishing praise on his players, said he was happy with his signal-callers' signal-calling — except for one Casey decision.

With less than a minute remaining in the first half, Casey carried a quarterback-keeper out of bounds on third down.

That stopped the clock with 47 seconds left and forced a Penn State punt.

Jenkins and Arizona bungled the remaining time with two straight procedure penalties, so Penn State lugged a 31-0 lead to the locker room.

After the game, Paterno found his traditional nitpicking with Casey's jaunt out of bounds.

"I thought (Thompson and Casey) both played well today, outside of Rashard running out of bounds," said Paterno, who opened his 50th year at Penn State with Saturday's shellacking. "I thought he did real well for a guy for the first time really having to move the team when the game was in doubt.

"I thought both of them played real well, and I think both of them will continue to play well."

Both Lions quarterbacks posted very similar passing numbers, keeping a clear-cut starter from clearly stepping forward.

Of Penn State's seven scoring drives, Casey led four. Thompson commanded the other three.

Thompson's 135 passing yards edged Casey's 107. Thompson threw two touchdowns, but was intercepted once and sacked twice.

"Both of us had scoring drives and were able to put points on the board," Thompson said. "That's what matters."

After lavishing praise on both Lions quarterbacks before the game, Arizona coach Dick Tomey seemed even more impressed, especially with Casey, when the drubbing ended.

"We recruited Rashard — I thought he was a really good player," Tomey said. "He adds something because he's quick and he can do some things."

No matter who takes the first or last snap, Casey said he and Thompson need to continue their strong production the rest of the season.

"I think this year, whoever's out there, me or Kevin, we got to try to get the job done," Casey said. "We're going to do whatever it takes."