STATE COLLEGE — James Franklin gave no one the run-around about Penn State’s running game during his post-game analysis: It must get better, he said.

But Christian Hackenberg was able to throw for three touchdowns - two to Jesse James -- and 319 yards and Penn State was able to overcome three turnovers and an inconsistent rushing attack to hold off Akron 21-3 on Saturday to give Franklin his first coaching victory at Beaver Stadium.

The Nittany Lions (2-0) totaled 425 yards total offense but two interceptions and a fumble kept Akron (1-1) within reach until late in the game. Hackenberg set a school record for most yardage in back-to-back games with 773 yards.

Akron held Penn State to 106 yards on 31 carries, including 45 yards from Akeel Lynch, mostly from the Wildcat offense on direct snaps.

“We need to improve the running game, there’s no doubt about; we have to get that going,” Franklin said. “It’s just the consistency. We don’t have the experience of a group of guys that have been working together a long time. That’s going to come.

“It’s everything. It’s never one thing in life. It’s a combination of things. It’s communication. It’s trusting one another. It’s effort. It’s execution. It’s the whole deal.”

The game featured 82 passes and 527 passing yards as opposed to just 175 on the ground. Akron quarterback Kyle Pohl was 24 of 46 for 208 yards but the Zips were unable to hit anything deep.