STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - After Penn State smoked Oregon State, 45-14, yesterday, safety Anthony Scirrotto stood up in the locker room and addressed the team.

Something had to be said.

The Nittany Lions had found themselves mired in another off-the-field distraction this past week. And Scirrotto, a senior captain, urged his teammates not to screw up this thing.

"He said, 'You got to have both feet in. You can't have one foot in and one foot out.. . . It's got to be football and school,'" cocaptain A.Q. Shipley said of Scirrotto's chat.

No. 19 Penn State (2-0) took care of the football end in breathtaking fashion. In the first half, the Lions rolled up 329 yards of total offense as they jumped to a 35-7 lead, essentially casting the Pac-10 Beavers as nothing more than the Lions' first-week opponent, Division I-AA Coastal Carolina.

The Lions' defense, meanwhile, held up its end despite missing two defensive lineman. Starters Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma were suspended Thursday for their involvement in a marijuana incident being investigated by police.

In the last five weeks, Penn State has lost six defensive linemen. Chris Baker and Phil Taylor were kicked off the team in July. Devon Still broke his ankle during preseason practice. And the unit was dealt another blow when end Jerome Hayes tore the anterior cruciate ligament in one knee yesterday.

But like last season, when it had multiple off-the-field incidents the week before the Wisconsin game, Penn State showed resilience. The Lions trounced the Badgers, 38-7, that Saturday and throttled what was thought to be a pretty decent Oregon State (0-2) squad.

"It's a combination of things," coach Joe Paterno said. "You got good coaches and you got some kids that realize this is an opportunity for them."

Quarterback Daryll Clark has taken his opportunity and run with it, literally. Last week, the junior stayed in the pocket and just threw passes. Yesterday, he showed what a dual-threat quarterback could do to opposing defenses. He tossed for 215 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-23 passing and ran five times for 61 yards and a touchdown.

"Daryll was hot today," offensive coordinator Galen Hall said.

Penn State stuck with the hot hand, while backup Pat Devlin stood on the sideline in headphones for most of the afternoon, signaling in plays. It appears now that Clark would have to have either a monumental lapse or get injured for Devlin to supplant him.

Some had thought that freshman Stephfon Green would take the starting running back position away from sophomore Evan Royster. But that thought was put to rest after Royster torched the Beavers for 141 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. (Green, for his part, was limited to 19 yards on 11 carries.)

Royster flashed Green-like speed as he turned the corner on several occasions.

"It's something I've been working on," Royster said. "Obviously, I'm not as fast as Stephfon."

Wide receiver Jordan Norwood had eight catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, further illustrating Penn State's offensive talent. The Lions scored 35 points for the second straight week, the first time they did that to open a season since 1994.

The 1994 team did that in the third game, too, but several people were wary of comparisons to one of the best teams in school history.

"I think it's way too early," Hall said. "It's a long, long season."

Indeed, and the defense will need to mature in a hurry with all the missing players. The Lions were successful for most of the game, limiting the Beavers to 92 yards on the ground. End Josh Gaines (five tackles and a sack) made an impression early, and Scirrotto (eight tackles) had perhaps his best game in two years.

Last year, the safety was caught up in his own off-the-field distraction when he was involved in an off-campus fight. So he spoke from experience when he gave his speech.

"Guys have to be responsible for their actions," Scirrotto said. "But we played through adversity, and I think we made a statement today."