STATE COLLEGE — Two highly recruited freshmen are off to solid starts for No. 19 Penn State. One is a wide receiver, another a speedy two-way player considered one of the best cornerback prospects in the country.

But first-year Nittany Lions Chris Bell and A.J. Wallace don't have quite the pressure on them that Derrick Williams and Justin King had as freshmen last season.

Bell, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound freshman, caught a 19-yard pass in his college debut last week against Akron. Considered one of the nation's best wide receivers out of high school, Bell should give rifle-armed quarterback Anthony Morelli another inviting target on a gifted Penn State receiving corps when they face fourth-ranked Notre Dame on Saturday.

Besides playing cornerback, Wallace ran for nearly 2,100 yards and 26 touchdowns last year at McDonough High School in Pomfret, Md. He displayed his speed last week with two long kickoff returns, though he fumbled on one.

"We stuck Wallace in there because we want to get something out of him because he can run," coach Joe Paterno said at this week's news conference. "We will see where we go from there."

Though part of what is considered one of this year's best recruiting classes, Bell and Wallace haven't drawn the spotlight that Williams and King did this time last year. Paterno considered Williams and King to be two missing links on a team that then needed more speed and playmakers.

Paterno has plenty of both now.