Penn State vs. Akron 2006 GAME STORY

In the first contest of the 2006 season, a year removed from that unforgettable '05 campaign, the Lions looked to continue the winning momentum. Akron was a solid MAC conference team to work out the early season kinks against. First year starter Anthony Morelli took over the quarterback duties, and put on an impressive start throwing three touchdowns to each of his wideouts. But there wasn't much balance offensively as Tony Hunt and the run game struggled. True freshman AJ Wallace put a spark in the return game and took a reverse for big yardage. The defense played stoutly, with the iconic linebacking corps of Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor and Sean Lee all playing beside each other for the first full game. Yet it was unheralded outside backer Tim Shaw that came up with lots of big plays in this one.
Penn State's Top Performers:
Anthony Morelli: 16 of 32, 206 yards 3 TDs
Dan Connor: 13 tackles, 2 sacks
Anthony Scirrotto: 5 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PDs
Penn State starts the year with a win heading into a showdown in South Bend against Notre Dame in week 2. Akron would finish the 2006 season with a 5-7 record as a member of the Mid American Conference.