The 6-foot-3, 221-pound Bolden, who was named Wednesday as the starter by head coach Joe Paterno, the first true freshman to start at quarterback in an opener for the 83-year-old coach, appeared to be fluster-proof, at least for one game.
That was particularly true after his only miscue, an interception by the Penguins' David Rach with nine minutes left in the first half and the Lions trailing, 7-6, after receiver Derek Moye fell down.
On the Lions' next two possessions, Bolden led a 68-yard drive capped by a 20-yard touchdown pass to Brett Brackett, the first of two TD connections they made on the day, and moved the team 34 yards in 45 seconds to set up Collin Wagner's 48-yard field goal on the half's final play.
The 10 points in the final 1 minute, 20 seconds of the first half gave Penn State a 16-7 halftime lead, and Chaz Powell's 100-yard return of the second-half kickoff put the Lions in clear-cut control.
"He showed a lot of poise out there," running back Evan Royster said of Bolden. "He played well. It's what we need. We're going to need strong quarterback play like that throughout the season. He's calm. He's not a rah-rah guy. He's quiet."
Paterno doesn't allow true freshmen to speak to reporters. But a couple of teammates talked about how nervous Bolden was in the locker room prior to the game, and mentioned a couple of visits he made to the bathroom.
But the nerves didn't show publicly Saturday. Granted, this came against a Football Championship Subdivision team in front of a friendly, encouraging crowd. Things will get far more difficult this Saturday, when the Nittany Lions head to Tuscaloosa and a meeting with top-ranked Alabama.
Maybe it was for that reason Paterno wasn't exactly brimming with praise after the game.
