Box Score

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- (Aug. 28) Who says Penn State has no offense? Kevin Thompson threw for two touchdowns, Chafie Fields ran 70 yards for a score and caught a 37-yard pass for another Saturday as the third-ranked Nittany Lions overwhelmed No. 4 Arizona 41-7 in the Pigskin Classic.

Penn State's highly touted defense exceeded even its own expectations by shutting down Arizona's high-powered offense on the way to a 31-0 halftime lead.

Led by star linebacker LaVar Arrington, the Lions had five sacks against the quarterback tandem of Keith Smith and Ortege Jenkins and held Trung Canidate, the Pac-10's leading rusher last year, to 31 yards on 10 carries.

Arrington, who had seven tackles, injured his left leg while making a stop with 3:48 left in the third period. He was helped off the field by team trainers. For Arizona, Smith injured his knee early in the fourth quarter and did not return. There was no immediate report on the extent of either injury.

The game was never close, even though both teams came into Beaver Stadium with visions of a national title. The Lions gave every indication they will be a key player along the road to a championship game in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4, while the Wildcats regroup after their worst defeat since a 56-14 loss to Arizona State in 1996. Arizona, which had won 16 of its last 17 games, still has the Rose Bowl if it can win the Pac-10 title.

The second meeting of top-5 teams in a "preseason" game was a mismatch from the start, much to the delight of the crowd of 97,168, third-largest in Penn State history.

The 6-foot-5, 222-pound Thompson, whose inconsistency last season led to many questions about how effective the '99 offense would be, eased those doubts with his first TD pass -- 2:56 into the game.

He found Fields over the middle, and the wide receiver turned the completion into a 37-yard touchdown. On Penn State's second play on its next possession, Fields ran 70 yards for a score to boost the lead to 14-0.

After the first of Travis Forney's two field goals made it 17-0, Thompson hooked up with backup tailback Larry Johnson on a 60-yard TD. Aaron Harris' 15-yard run late in the second quarter gave the Lions a 31-0 lead after 30 minutes.

Forney kicked 47-yard field goal and Omar Easy scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter, while the Wildcats averted a shutout with 47 seconds left on Leo Mills' 1-yard TD run.

Thompson finished 5-of-8 for 135 yards, two TDs and an interception, while Fields carried three times for 110 yards and caught three passes for 76 yards. Rashard Casey, who shared time with Thompson, was 6-of-10 for 107 yards.

Smith, harassed so much he ran out of his shoe while scrambling to get off a fourth-quarter pass, was 17-of-21 for 128 yards. Jenkins was 8-of-14 for 104 yards.

Penn State, which beat a top-5 team at home for the first time since 1983 (No. 5 West Virginia 41-23), looked in championship form from the opening drive. Fields ran 20 yards on a reverse and three plays later took Thompson's pass over the middle and turned it into a 37-yard TD.

Arizona came back with Smith hitting Dennis Northcutt for 29 and 26 yards, but Mark McDonald missed a 40-yard field goal attempt. He also missed a 48-yarder late in the first half.

The Nittany Lions struck quickly after the first miss. Cordell Mitchell ran for seven yards and Fields turned an inside draw into a 70-yard dash to the end zone.

It got worse for the Wildcats, who may think twice before traveling East again.

Penn State's Eric Sturdifen blocked a punt deep in Arizona territory and the Lions moved to a 17-0 lead on Forney's 31-yard field goal. After shutting down Arizona, the Lions struck quickly again.

On the first play, Thompson found Johnson, the son of the defensive ends and special-teams coach, on a screen pass. The backup tailback faked cornerback Leland Gales and raced 60 yards for a TD, making it 24-0 with 8:35 left in the half.

Penn State moved to a 31-0 lead with 5:13 left in the half on Harris' 15-yard scoring run.