Purdue didn't even have to use their first-team secondary to shut down the Penn State football team's inept passing game.

In the Boilermakers 28-14 victory over the visiting Nittany Lions on Saturday, Purdue's starting secondary consisted of Kyle Smith, who moved from quarterback to free safety just three weeks before, and Bernard Pollard, a redshirt freshman, at strong safety.

Even with the potential weaknesses, the Lions passed for just 98 yards and one touchdown while quarterback Michael Robinson threw two interceptions and completed just a little more than 31 percent of his passes.

Smith started for the Boilermakers because Purdue football coach Joe Tiller was punishing normal first-team strong safety Stuart Schweigert for violating team rules in the offseason.

"I think overall, I did alright," Smith said. "I think there are a couple plays [I was in] the wrong position, but we'll work it out."

If Smith was in the wrong position, Robinson and company didn't seem to notice.

The game started off well for the Lions' offense, most notably when Robinson managed to catch Pollard out of position and wideout Maurice Humphrey darted past the unbalanced defender.

Robinson dropped a beautiful throw over the chasing Purdue defensive backs and Humphrey snared the pass for a 33-yard gain.

The play seemed to give a surge to a slumping Robinson, who had two poorly thrown passes on the first drive and made a bad decision to throw to tight end Mike Lukac, while off-balance. The throw went high and out of bounds, instead of pulling the ball down and running with it at the start of the second drive.

As if the Lions were afraid to take command of the game, tackle Chris McKelvy missed his block on the very next play and Robinson was sacked for a seven-yard loss.

McKelvy missed a block and Robinson's pass sailed on the next play to thwart the Penn State drive.

And when he had time to throw, Robinson didn't do much with the space. One pass in the second quarter was tipped while another attempt fluttered like a candy wrapper caught in the wind and fell into the hands of an opposing defender.

The problems, however, stemmed not only from a jittery quarterback and poor offensive line play -- Penn State allowed three sacks on the afternoon -- but also from ineptitude among the teams receivers.

Wideout Tony Johnson dropped two passes that were eminently catchable and absolutely crucial, while tight end Matt Kranchick had two passes slip through his hands.

An unsettling inability among the receivers to grasp the offense also has greatly hampered Penn State's poor passing game. Wideout Gerald Smith had trouble lining up in the second quarter and incurred a five-yard penalty for his illegal shift.

Then, at the start of the third quarter with Johnson standing on the sideline, Robinson threw to wideout Kinta Palmer for the first time in more than a month on a crucial third-and-nine.

Palmer, however, cut in to the middle of the field on a play that called for him to cut towards the sideline.

Robinson's pass sailed wide and out of bounds.

As the Purdue defense celebrated a key stop in the game, Robinson proceded to yell at the sophomore wideout after the miscue.

Even though the Purdue defense was short on experience, the Boilermakers made it a long afternoon for the Penn State offense.