Not even Penn State coach Joe Paterno was alive in September 1926, though that was a mere three months before his birth.

The Lions showed an abundance of offensive options, though they may need some time to find their way on defense and may never resolve their quarterback situation.

Playing a team in the subdivision lower went just about the way you would expect. No. 22 Penn State scored a touchdown on nine of 11 possessions and had a 594-250 edge in total yards over Coastal Carolina. Penn State had no turnovers.

And for good measure, Paterno tied an idle Bobby Bowden, with 373 victories, for the most career wins among major college coaches. Florida State opens its season next week.

"Just let me enjoy the game," Paterno said. "I haven't even thought about it and I'm not going to."

For the 43d time, the 82-year-old icon ran out of the tunnel and onto the field for a home opener at Beaver Stadium. It could be the last opener for Paterno, who is in the last year of his contract, and he ran with more of a limp than ever. Otherwise, it was business as usual.

If there was a hiccup, it came early in the second quarter when the Chanticleers found a hole in the Lions' defense. Penn State linebacker Josh Hull blitzed, but quarterback Zack MacDowall hit a wide-open Trent Usher, and 33 yards later Coastal Carolina had a touchdown - and trailed only 14-7.

"That's probably a bad call and that's by me," defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said.

But Penn State immediately quelled any nervousness when Derrick Williams took the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. The senior avoided one tackler near midfield and raced untouched into the end zone.

Quarterback Daryll Clark started his first game and was workmanlike, completing 11 of 14 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown.

His best toss came on a third-and-13 play when he hit Jordan Norwood across the middle for 23 yards.

"It was kind of a timing post, and I knew he was going to be open," Clark said. "I just let it go, and he went up and got it."

Clark and Norwood hooked up again two plays later on a 5-yard score that gave the Lions a 28-7 cushion.

Earlier in the week, Clark was named the starter over Pat Devlin after a close competition. Devlin, though, was told he would play some with the first team and that occurred when the redshirt sophomore checked in with 7 minutes, 31 seconds left in the second quarter. He promptly twirled a 40-yard strike to Norwood and was 5 of 8 for 83 yards for the day.

Paterno said that Clark would start Saturday at home against Oregon State in what should be a much stiffer test.

"We'll start Clark and if it looks appropriate to get Devlin in, we'll get him in," Paterno said.

There's also a logjam in the backfield with first-team running back Evan Royster and backups Stephfon Green and Brent Carter.

Royster had eight carries for 64 yards and three touchdowns, while Green had 10 carries for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Carter ran nine times for 73 yards.

In the meantime, the Lions will have to be satisfied with scoring their most points in an opener since 1926. In that long-ago contest, 3,500 fans filled a sold-out Beaver Field.

Yesterday's attendance was 106,577.