STATE COLLEGE - Penn State head coach Joe Paterno had a simple answer when asked to describe the speed of his freshmen receivers.

"I don't know. They go out in practice and they run fast. They go out in a game and they run fast," Paterno said after chuckling following Saturday's 42-24 win over Cincinnati. "They're fast."

Call the victory a coming-out party of sorts for Paterno's kiddie corps of wideouts. Though Penn State faced a just-as-young Cincinnati defense which featured just three returning starters and one senior starter (defensive end Adam Roberts), the win was a confidence booster.

"That was great. It helps our "D" a lot because we feel pressure when we don't put points on the board, like we're letting our "D" down," said Deon Butler, a redshirt freshman who had two catches for 73 yards against the Bearcats (1-1).

Butler is one of the less-heralded first-year receivers on Penn State (2-0). Two true freshmen, Derrick Williams and Justin King, have garnered much of the attention so far after Paterno snagged the prized recruits last winter.

Williams and King came up big Saturday as Paterno opened up the passing game after halftime in hopes of stretching the Cincinnati defense. That was Paterno's general offseason plan after last year's version of the offense sputtered.

Butler came up with two big plays himself versus the Bearcats, hauling in a 28-yard pass at the start of a second-quarter scoring drive along with a 45-yard touchdown throw from quarterback Michael Robinson in the fourth quarter. He snagged the ball just before the goal line, then fell and rolled into the end zone.

Butler, whose listed height is 5-foot-10, said the receivers were prepared for Cincinnati defenders trying to jam them at the line of scrimmage. "That's what happened ... a lot of times we just beat guys on little technique things," Butler said.

Hearing that would make his head coach happy. Paterno over the last week talked much about getting his team to take care of the "little things" on the practice field to get better.

"I keep repeating myself," Paterno said when asked about Butler. "Those young guys are good athletes. They work hard."

King's 59-yard scoring catch, the first of his collegiate career, riled up what had been relatively quiet crowd early in the third quarter.

On the next series, Williams had a big 41-yard reception inside the Cincinnati 10 that led to another score. Williams finished with four catches for 60 yards and rushed for another 23.

Paterno usually doesn't let true freshmen talk to the media - at least early in a season - and that was the case with Williams and King after the Bearcats game.

Robinson, the man who made the throws, finished with 220 passing yards and a career-high three TD passes. He also ran for a score.

The Robinson-led offense clicked, for the most part, after halftime after a so-so performance in the first half. Robinson also fumbled on Penn State's first possession of the third quarter.

Offensive line play also appeared to improve Saturday after a shaky outing the previous week.

All that helped Penn State's offense break out the big plays in the second half and give the defense some cushion.

"It helped a lot, but they did it kind of fast," defensive end Matthew Rice said with a laugh. "That didn't give us a break."