STATE COLLEGE — Even with Beaver Stadium’s glaring deserted sections, thousands of “We Are” chanting fans and a home opener still gave Christian Hackenberg some early jitters.

His first scattershot passes sailed way off the mark. He lost a fumble.

Once Hackenberg beat his nerves, Eastern Michigan never stood a chance.

Hackenberg threw for 311 yards and a touchdown, and Zach Zwinak and Bill Belton each ran for a pair of scores, leading Penn State past Eastern Michigan 45-7 on Saturday.

Hackenberg went 23 of 33 and overcame a shaky first couple of series to lead Penn State (2-0) to a win in its home opener. He connected with Allen Robinson for a 45-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that helped put the game away. He set a Penn State single-game mark for yards passing by a freshman.

And he made a big impression on fans needing a reason to back the program.

“There’s a big, big difference than walking in there empty,” Hackenberg said. “They try to simulate it with some noise. Nothing compares.”

After the running game stumbled in the season opener vs. Syracuse, Zwinak broke through for a pair of short scores. Belton added a 51-yard touchdown run in the fourth and had 108 yards rushing. Akeel Lynch added a 27-yard scamper in the fourth and also had 108 yards rushing.

Penn State’s Sam Ficken set a school record with his 14th straight field goal, a 39-yarder that closed the first half.

Eastern Michigan (1-1) scored off a fumble to avoid the shutout.

Hackenberg followed up a strong debut with another promising effort. The 18-year-old just needed time to get going. Hit with some home-field nerves, he wildly overthrew his first few attempts, and lost a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Hunter Matt for an 11-yard score.