STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- From Arizona to Ann Arbor, lots of coaches tried quarterback platoons this season.

	Kevin Thompson has shared the QB job with Rashard Casey.

Most coaches finally settled on one guy, and Penn State's Joe Paterno seemed unlikely to stick with college football's latest fad for an entire year. Through five games now, he has -- and over the past two weeks, Kevin Thompson and Rashard Casey have shown why.

A week after Thompson threw a perfect 79-yard pass to lead Penn State to a comeback victory over Miami, Casey posted sensational numbers -- and even more spectacular plays -- as the No. 2 Nittany Lions (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) beat Indiana 45-24 Saturday.

"Casey was the show-stopper," linebacker Brandon Short said.

Finally, no one is asking if Paterno is sticking with his two-quarterback system.

In the first half, Casey found tight end Tony Stewart for 30- and 26-yard gains to set up a touchdown and a field goal.

In the second half, he had two TD passes to keep pace with Antwaan Randle El, whose touchdown throws kept the Hoosiers (1-3, 0-1) in the game. First, Casey drilled a pass to Eric McCoo for 20 yards. Then he threw a well-placed ball to the pylon that Sam Crenshaw nabbed for a 9-yard score.

He was on the field for all five of Penn State's offensive scores, and finished with the best numbers of his career: 13-for-15 for 196 yards and no interceptions.

He also rushed for 66 yards on eight carries and one scrambling 31-yard touchdown.

"Casey played exceptionally well," Paterno said. "Made some things happen. He's that kind of player."

To those who say he's not Penn State's typical quarterback, Paterno argues that he's not against a running quarterback, "if you've got somebody who can do it and do it well and not get carried away with it.

"Yeah, he improvises. Couple of times he shouldn't have, but he's good enough to get away with it. He's gonna pay a price someday when he tries to improvise and doesn't get away with it. We've got to live with that."

Not that it's easy when the 72-year-old Paterno is watching from the sideline.

Last year, Paterno decided to stay with Thompson because he worried that Casey did not understand Penn State's offense well enough. That changed this offseason.

"He's always been a good passer. He's always been a very good athlete," he said. "That's never been my problem with him. The problem has been, he had a tendency to have lapses mentally, to make mistakes. He made up his mind this past winter that he was going to be a quarterback, not just an athlete who plays quarterback. That is what he's doing, and now he's obviously got a lot of confidence in himself."

He is 32-for-41 for 519 yards and five touchdowns, with 137 yards rushing and two more TDs. That offensive production is only a few yards shy of Thompson's (43-for-72 for 788 yards).

"What a luxury it is to have two good quarterbacks," Indiana coach Cam Cameron said.

As for Thompson, if he's unhappy about the time-sharing arrangement, he isn't letting on.

"Whatever it takes for our team to win," he said. "Sure, it's harder. Anytime you're used to playing a lot and you get in there and things don't go your way, you get a little discouraged. But you have to go out there and hang tough and wait for your opportunity. I'm not a guy who's going to complain."