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TicketCity Bowl 2012: Houston Comes Out Firing, Opens Up 10-0 First Quarter Lead

The Houston Cougars wasted no time exposing Big Ten power Penn State to the wonders of the high-powered spread offense played throughout Texas.

Cougars sixth-year QB Case Keenum threw 13 consecutive times to open the game, leading Houston to a 10-0 lead over Penn State.

Keenum connected with senior WR Patrick Edwards for a 40-yard TD with more than 13:00 minutes still on the clock in the first quarter:

The Nittany Lions seem shell-shocked to open the game, as their offense responded to the Cougars quick strike with two three and outs, with sophomore QB Rob Bolden looking uncomfortable in the pocket and inaccurate on his throws.

It's the worst possible scenario for Penn State, a defensive-oriented team who wants to play a low-scoring field position battle, and not be forced to play from behind against a high-powered Houston offense for most of the game.

How the Nittany Lions perform, especially defensively, will undoubtedly be a factor in whether Penn State retains interim head coach Tom Bradley to take over for departed legend Joe Paterno, whose absence as a part of the Jerry Sandusky scandal has hung over the Nittany Lions since his sudden departure in November.

Images by eflon used in background images under a Creative Commons license. Thank you.