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everything that we have to o3er. I hope I surprised them, and if I didn't, then I've gotta do a better job." Few would argue Hamilton didn't earn signi2cant respect with the performance, not least of all from his head coach. A second option for Hackenberg that few could be sure would produce imme- diately, he enjoyed an instant-impact per- formance that had coach James Franklin gushing. "If you look at him, he's a big, physical, impressive looking athlete," Franklin said. "He's very, very smart, runs the o3ense extremely well, and obviously with going out and playing the way he did on Saturday, I think he had a chance to build on his con2dence and his execution." Two additional wide receivers – true freshmen Godwin and Saeed Blacknall – have shown themselves capable of pro- ducing big plays. That's good news for Penn State, which is looking to replace a receiver who 2nished with 97 catches 1,432 yards and six touchdowns last season. And as much as the Nittany Lions bene- 2tted from Robinson's record-setting per- formances, there's also a lot to be said for having balance in the passing game. "It can be challenging if you've got one guy who everybody is focused on," Franklin said. "When you can have somebody on either side that people have to deal with, it's going to make both of them that much more e3ective. I think it's going to give Hack more options and it's also going to help in his development. "Having multiple threats with our wide receivers and our tight ends, I think, is critical." Beyond Lewis and Hamilton, Blacknall and Godwin have already forsaken their opportunity to redshirt and are expected to be important options dur- ing the Big Ten season. Franklin has said he wants his o3ense to be opportunistic. That means the coach- es will exploit defenses without regard for weekly reception quotas. If their ap- proach leaves some players feeling impa- tient or frustrated, that's OK. Frustration can be bene2cial if it leads to more con- sistency among the wideouts. Still, Hackenberg likes the options that revealed themselves during the summer months. He got a sneak preview of the o3ense that Penn State fans are only now beginning to see. "You work with these guys day in and day out and they show great promise and you can sort of see them through fall camp continuing to get better and see everything start clicking for them, even the young guys," Hackenberg said. "It's one of those things where, as a quarter- back, you start to feel very comfortable and understand that everyone's working on the same page and working on the same frequency. "Being able to get them the ball on time and in space and let them go make plays is huge. I think that's one of those things that all these guys understand, and we're going to continue to put them in situations to go make those plays. "Each and every day, they try to get better and better within those situations and be more consistent." Surrounded by complementary pieces – pieces that are coming together more quickly than many expected – Hackenberg is all too happy to exploit this advantage, whether the opponent is the scout team or Ohio State. ■ STRONG START Hamilton en- joyed a mar- velous debut, catching 11 passes for 165 yards against UCF. Photos by Steve Manuel

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