Clad in his No. 14 jersey, Andy Kubic strode back through the tunnel and toward the locker room.

The sophomore quarterback-turned-linebacker basked in the adoration of the fans as he walked by after Saturday's 48-10 annihilation of Akron. One fan shouted some encouragement to him.

"Nice game, Morelli."

It took a second to sink in before Kubic turned around and opened his mouth to protest. Instead he just smiled, shook his head and continued on his way.

Sorry, Andy.

Better get used to this sort of thing.

Though Kubic was the one listed as No. 14 on the numerical roster, all eyes were on the other 14 -- true freshman quarterback Anthony Morelli.

An otherwise dull backup parade that formed in the second half turned intriguing when Morelli took over under center for the Nittany Lions' final drive. Speculation had been that the blue-chip prep quarterback from Penn Hills High School would redshirt, given that the Lions already had three upperclassmen at the position.

So why burn the redshirt in garbage time against Akron?

Penn State coach Joe Paterno explained after the game that should starting quarterback Zack Mills get hurt, he would prefer to leave backup Michael Robinson at wide receiver. Then, with an eye to the future, Morelli would conceivably start ahead of third-stringer Chris Ganter.

"I think if we got in a jam that Chris can handle it," Paterno said. "But I think that Morelli's got a little something special. He can throw the football. He's got a little stronger arm than Chris. And I think he just needs to play ... if we got into some kind of jam."

Morelli went 2-for-6 and threw for 23 yards on his fourth-quarter drive that displayed both his tremendous promise and noticeable inexperience. The rookie threw three solid balls -- a swing pass to Brendan Perretta, a sideline strike to Vic Surma and a pass to the end zone that Terrell Golden couldn't haul in.

But Morelli also overthrew Perretta another time and then was nearly intercepted when he didn't see Zips defensive back Chevin Pace providing double coverage.

The move surprised not only fans, but Penn State quarterbacks as well.

"I have no idea what that move was for," Robinson said. "That was Joe's call and that was something he wanted to do. Morelli -- he can play, he can play -- but I don't know what to think. I had nothing to do with that."

Morelli's father, Greg, was pleasantly surprised.

He first learned his son would be playing in the Akron game as Anthony warmed up on the sideline just before the start of the second half. Greg, who had left his seat behind the team bench on the East side of the stadium during the break, saw Anthony throwing on the sideline.

"I stood there for a while and I said, 'Are you going in?' " Greg Morelli said. "And he said, 'Yeah.'

"All Anthony asked for was an opportunity to compete for playing time. I'd have to say Joe Paterno has been true to his word and in everything he said in recruiting."

Coincidentally, just a few hours earlier and a few hundred miles to the west, another Big Ten freshman quarterback was stealing Morelli's thunder. Michigan's Chad Henne, who chose the Wolverines over Penn State, was given the starting nod because junior Matt Gutierrez had soreness in his throwing arm.

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr went with Henne over sophomore Clayton Richard.

"It was very obvious that he had great arm strength and excellent mobility," Carr said of Henne. "Just the way he handled himself, he's very poised for a kid his age."

Henne finished with 142 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 14-of-24 passing.

Considering it will likely be two years before Henne and Morelli face off as starters for their respective teams, no one could have predicted both would play in their first collegiate games.

And on Saturday the duo showed flashes of what was to come.

"He's looked really good in practice," Robinson said of Morelli. "He's still a young guy with things to learn, but he's going to be a great quarterback -- probably one of the best to ever be around here. His arm is so strong, he can put the ball in places that many can't put it. He came in as a freshman and made reads me and Zack didn't get until maybe our second or third year."