While it’s not the most shocking news that Penn State fans have dealt with in July, it’s still significant as Matt McGloin is now the only quarterback on Penn State’s roster who had taken a meaningful snap.

Despite having played in 20 games as a freshman and sophomore, Bolden found himself 3rd on the depth chart at the conclusion of spring practice. A transfer seemed quite possible even before the sanctions were levied, opening the gate for players to leave without losing a year of eligibility.

Many question the interest of a program like LSU in a 3rd strong quarterback, but Bolden was highly recruited out of high school and did show some flashes early in his career.

As is the case with any player who leaves, I wish Rob luck. I’m not familiar with the LSU depth chart but people tell me they are in need of depth. A common theme seems to be that they believe they are getting a guy who is a threat as a running quarterback. We shall see.

Some other Penn State players are also considering leaving the Nittany Lions for new opportunities. One of the big names is junior linebacker Khairi Fortt, who is reportedly visiting Cal this weekend. His father says he has about a dozen offers, including Washington and Florida State, among others. Fortt left Spring camp listed as a co-starter at middle linebacker with Glenn Carson.

OT Ryan Nowicki was one of the first names that came up as a potential transfer candidate. Illinois seemed to be the original destination, but reports are that he has visited, or intends to visit Washington and Arizona State, as well. He’s an Arizona native, so moving home could make ASU the favorite here. Regardless, Ryan is one of the players that would be a logical transfer. As a redshirt freshman, he would not play in a single bowl and he third on the Penn State depth chart, at best. An opportunity for snaps is probably enticing.

Rob Bolden was the first guy that popped into most fans heads as a player who would transfer. He tried to transfer as a freshman, but Joe Paterno blocked it. Last summer, there were rumors that he was considering it again, but he stuck around and played plenty, if not too many, snaps as a true sophomore. With the former offensive staff having all been replace, Bolden left spring as the third string QB. Rumor is that LSU is interested. While that may seem shocking on the surface, keep in mind that Rob scored more touchdowns against Alabama last year than the entire LSU team could muster in 2+ games. He may be the secret weapon.

I’ve heard that Bolden is not the only quarterback on the fence. Redshirt sophomore and backup PJ Jones is said to have over twenty offers and is reportedly torn. He would likely be the starter for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, but that is far from guaranteed. If he stays and for some reason does not earn the starting gig, he may regret not leaving for playing time when he had the chance. Penn State has stuck by Jones through a lot so far and many of the fans are in his corner. With Matt McGloin and freshman Steven Bench as the only two quarterbacks who have declared they are staying, PJ becomes important, for depth, if nothing else. 
UPDATE: PAUL HAS ANNOUNCED HE IS STAYING.

A recent poll on the home page revealed who fans WANT to be the starter. Try to put your emotions aside this time.

Who knows, a change of scenery may go a long way toward the progression of Rob Bolden, who has occasionally shown flashes of better-than-solid quarterback play.

Keep in mind, there are restrictions that make it difficult for a player to transfer to another school within the Big Ten. It’s unlikely that the other B1G schools will be an option for Rob. Also a factor, Rob still has his redshirt year available. If he transfers within the FBS (Div. 1), he will be able to use that redshirt, then play in 2013 with two years of eligibility remaining.

October 8, 2011; State College, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Matthew McGloin (11) looks down the field during fourth quarter action against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-US PRESSWIRE

Question:  Who should be the starting quarterback for the Nittany Lions?

Answer:  Matthew McGloin

Reason:  The strengths Matt McGloin exhibits are the skills most necessary for Bill O’Brien’s offense to succeed and score points.  Bill O’Brien’s offense requires a quarterback to, more than anything else, make quick, proper decisions and accurate passes.  McGloin is the most accurate passer and best decision-maker on Penn State’s depth chart and accordingly should be the starting quarterback.

Analysis:

Bill O’Brien’s offense is based on the Erhardt-Perkins offensive system, but emphasizes the pass more than the tradition Erhardt-Perkins system.  Thus, it is widely known as the Air Erhardt offensive scheme.  The Air Erhardt offensive scheme utilizes multiple formations and involves passing plays that have 4 to 5 potential receivers, including WRs, TEs, and RBs. The offense is largely designed to find the most favorable matchups and exploit those matchups.  It uses a plethora of combination routes designed to ensure that at least one receiver will be open on a given play.  Determining which receiver will be open depends upon the defense’s pre-snap alignment and post-snap movements.  Thus, in this type of offense, the quarterback must be able to understand which receivers will be open depending on what the defense does, actually digest what the defense is doing on a given play, find the favorable matchup based on what the defense is doing, and make an accurate throw.

Undoubtedly, Matt McGloin is the quarterback on Penn State’s depth chart that is most able to do this.   Matt is the most experienced and intelligent quarterback in contention for the starting job and is accordingly the best decision maker.  Moreover, McGloin’s superior mechanics allow him to throw a more accurate ball than the remainder of the quarterbacks competing for the starting job.  Therefore, the strengths that McGloin exhibits over the other candidates are the skills needed to successfully operate O’Brien’s offense, score points, and win football games.

There is no denying that Paul Jones and Rob Bolden can throw farther and run faster.  In an offense where these skills are put at a premium, Paul Jones and Rob Bolden may be better candidates for the quarterback position than McGloin.  These skills, however, are NOT put at a premium or necessary to successfully operate Bill O’Brien’s offense.  Accordingly, because McGloin’s strengths are the skills that are necessary to score points in O’Brien’s offense, and because Paul Jones’s and Rob Bolden’s strengths are not skills that are needed to succeed in O’Brien’s offense, Matt McGloin should be the starting quarterback for Penn State.

McGloin is also a great leader, extremely competitive, and has the most experience of all of the candidates.  These qualities only bolster the fact that McGloin should be leading the Nittany Lions out of the tunnel come September 1, 2012.

See why Paul Jones should be Penn State’s starting quarterback.

Answer:  Paul Jones

Reason:  Paul Jones is, without question, the most athletically gifted of the quarterbacks on the Penn State roster with the build of a tight end and the arm strength of a professional quarterback.

Analysis: Paul Jones has taken the tough route to a quarterback competition that has been alive for two years. Coming out of high school as a highly touted, Army All-American with a laser rocket arm, Paul left high school in January and enrolled at Penn State in January of what should have been his senior season in high school. That gave Paul the chance to practice with the team in the Spring, then play in the Blue-White game. Without the quarterback position solidified that Spring, Paul won over the fans with an impressive two touchdown performance on a day lacking in offense.

Despite that, enrolling early may not have been the best course of action for the 6’3″ 245 pound Jones. Paul was forced to sit out his freshman season due to academic reasons. According to him, he was a credit short of the mandatory limit for NCAA athletes. Matt McGloin and Rob Bolden took turns struggling at quarterback during a 7-6 season while Jones worked to straighten things out in the classroom. The following summer, fans wondered if Jones would step up and take his rightful place as the starting QB for Penn State. Unfortunately, Paul would fall just short (.02, to be exact) of the required GPA for NCAA athletes and would miss yet another season due to athletic reasons.

Paul has apparently found his groove in the classroom and has put together back to back qualifying semesters. He is not only in the thick of the quarterback competition, but should be named the starter in the coming weeks when Bill O’Brien releases the initial depth chart.

Paul Jones has the strongest arm that we have seen in Penn State for some time. Coupled with that, his scrambling ability and pocket presence has drawn praise from pass-rushing specialist, Paul Massaro. PJ has the ability to get the ball down the field, which will force defenses to respect every spot in the defensive backfield. On a team where the best weapon is likely Silas Redd, a quarterback who can stretch the field is essential to utilize that weapon.

Paul could have given up at any time over the last two seasons, but didn’t. During a time when Kevin Newsome left the program and rumors about Rob Bolden doing the same thing were floated around, Paul continued to grind. He has been through adversity and has shown the ability to overcome it. That kind of mental toughness, combined with his obvious physical ability is exactly what Bill O’Brien needs to lead this team into the future.

See why Matt McGloin should be Penn State’s starting quarterback.

Connor also asked about Bill O’Brien’s high praise for Jordan Hill, Curtis Drake’s situation, Bill O’Brien as a head coach and more!

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

So I joined about 50 or so media members and a far larger number of coaches and others to watch the first 30 or 40 minutes of practice, which consisted mostly of stretching and position drills without pads.

They shooed the media away just as the team began to run some non-contact offensive plays against different defensive sets. I tried to kind of hide behind some of the coaches so I could see more of that, but I didn’t last very long.

Can anything be learned, then, from watching mostly drills for such a short period of time? The answer, of course, is not much, but I did see some things that might be worth mentioning, even though most of this has probably already been said.

First, the practice was very quick-paced and very organized. There was no wasted time or wasted effort. Everyone knew where to go and what to do. There were also four cameras–high up–filming everything.

The entire time that I was watching, there were groups of players practicing special teams. This day it was mostly punt teams and punt return teams, although there may have been other things mixed in that I did not see. I couldn’t see who the players were, but I will say that someone there has a very good leg.

I paid attention mostly to the offensive line, the tight ends, and the quarterbacks. With all of the groups I saw, the coaches did not accept mistakes. If something went wrong, it was do it again. And they did it until it was right. There were a lot of questions asked of the coaches, and many of the players seemed to be talking and helping each other.

There are a lot of offensive linemen. They lined up four-deep at center, left guard, and left tackle, and three-deep and right guard and right tackle. They seemed to have good size, but there were no really big, behemoth, players that stood out.

Their drills looked pretty standard, positioning, basic movements, etc, but there were many pass-blocking technique and positioning drills. There was also a lot of pulling, both left and right, and the coaches seemed to really be emphasizing quickness. I haven’t mentioned any names because I’m not confident with the numbers the players were wearing–I don’t want to misidentify anyone.

From what I saw, the tight ends worked only on short pass routes and catching the ball. That’s all they did, catch the ball. To me, this group looked very tall and athletic, and it was hard to miss Garry Gilliam because of his 6-6 size. And Jesse James is even bigger at 6-7.

The quarterbacks drew heavy interest, of course, but they pretty much did standard types of drills. One thing I found interesting was that they worked quite a bit on dropping back, faking left, rolling right, and then throwing back to the left. Or rolling all the way to the right and throwing to the flat. I doesn’t look like they are going to be standing around in the pocket, but that there will be a lot of moving around. They also did a lot of talking and helping each other out.

When everyone got together for the full-team session, it was time for the media to leave. I did try to stick around to see a few plays, though, and noticed that there was a lot of motion before the snap in the offense. Bill O’Brien also stopped two plays before they started because someone was out of position. All the plays I saw were running plays, and the quarterbacks were switching in and out. I am pretty sure McGloin took the first snap, but don’t hold me to that.

As I left, walking back to my car, I was reminded how beautiful Penn State is in the spring, with the trees budding and the flowers coming up. I had a strong urge to walk down and join the late Friday afternoon crowd at the Rathskeller, but somehow I resisted. There will be a lot more chances to do that in the fall.

Nov 26, 2011; Madison, WI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Matt McGloin (11) before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-US PRESSWIRE

This is part II of the VBR Penn State Quarterback Preview.   This post analyzes Matt McGloin’s skill set and his chances at landing the starting spot in O’Brien’s new offense.   In my next few posts, I will analyze the remainder of the quarterbacks on Penn State’s depth chart (and those who may be on it very soon).   To see a general overview of Penn State’s quarterback situation, see Penn State’s Quarterback Preview (Part I).

Background Information

Matt McGloin is a fifth year senior at Penn State majoring in communications.

McGloin played his high school ball for the West Scranton Invaders in northeast Pennsylvania.  He amassed 5,485 yards and 58 touchdowns over his three year career as starter for the Invaders.  McGloin, along with his high school teammates, Eric Shrive (current OL for the Nittany Lions and former four-star recruit) and Hubie Graham (starting Tight End for the Pitt Panthers), were able to lead the West Scranton Invaders to a few deep runs at the State title.

Unlike other All-State quarterbacks, McGloin did not receive a Division 1A scholarship offer.  McGloin did, however, receive plenty of attention from Division 1AA schools and could have accepted a full scholarship to schools such as Lehigh University, receive a top notch education, and have no student loans to pay back when he graduated.  Instead, McGloin took a chance.  He believed in himself and made a decision that many questioned.  McGloin decided to become a preferred walk-on for the Nittany Lions.

Well, that risk certainly paid off, as he was offered a scholarship after only one year in a Nittany Lion uniform.  Despite having to overcome the adverse perceptions that often comes along with being a walk-on, Matt impressed his coaches and his teammates in his first two seasons and put himself in a position to earn the starting job going into his red-shirt sophomore year.  Leading up to the 2010 season, Matt was the projected starter.  But, one day before Penn State’s opening game against Youngstown State, it was announced that Rob Bolden would start rather than McGloin.

But, that would not be the last time we would see Matt McGloin.  A few weeks later, a Bolden concussion gave Matt the chance he needed to show the world that he was for real.  He did just that by tossing two touchdown passes and leading the Lions to a victory over the Golden Gophers.  In addition, only one week later, with a win over Michigan, McGloin was able to show (and tell) Kirk Herbstreit and the rest of the Gameday staff, that he was not to be ignored.

Performance and Statistics

In his junior season, McGloin threw for 1571 yards, 8 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and completed 54.1% of his passes.

In only 7 of 13 games of his sophomore season, McGloin threw for 1548 yards, 14 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, and completed 54.9% of his passes.   Take those stats and project them to a full 13 game season, McGloin was on pace to throw for 2875 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.   These numbers are akin to the Daryll Clark’s best season as a Nittany lion, where in 2009, he threw for 3003 yards and tossed 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.  Pretty impressive.

The big concern I have with McGloin’s statistics through two years is the low completion percentage.  McGloin will need to work hard to get his completion percentage over 60% in order to ensure that our offense will be able to sustain long drives that end in touchdowns, rather than field goals.

McGloin has even been able set some records since he has set foot on campus.  First, by merely earning the starting job, Matt became the first former walk-on to start at quarterback for the Nittany Lions.  Matt is also the only quarterback in Penn State history to throw for 300 yards in back to back games, an accomplishment that Kerry Collins, Todd Blackledge, Michael Robinson, and Daryl Clark were not able to do in their tenure with the Lions.

Tangible and Intangible Attributes

Despite being undersized, McGloin brings many tangible and intangible attributes to Penn State’s offense.  First, McGloin has a strong arm.  Many people mistakenly underestimate McGloin’s arm.  But, Matty can really sling it.  He can make all the throws, sideline comebacks or outs, throws into tight spots down the middle of field, and deep over the shoulder throws.  There isn’t a throw in the playbook that McGloin cannot execute.  Second, McGloin has a quick release.  He gets the ball out of his hands quickly, which prevents the opposing secondary from anticipating where he is going with the ball.  Moreover, his quick release allows him to avoid being sacked.  Third, McGloin is a very accurate passer.  As long as he maintains his normally good mechanics, which started to stray a bit at the end of the season last year, he puts the ball on the money.  Fourth, McGloin has exceptional pocket-presence and elusiveness within the pocket.  McGloin has an uncanny ability to move defenders with subtle head nods, pump fakes, and foot placements, which buy him just enough time to deliver a strike down field.  Finally, McGloin is a leader.  He refuses to admit defeat and always believes that he and his teammates will be victorious.  McGloin’s leadership and confidence is infectious and can inspire a huddle to play beyond themselves.

Disposition

Overall, McGloin’s experience, determination, grit, pocket-presence, decision-making, and underrated athletic ability make McGloin an appealing option for quarterback this season.  When all is said and done, I believe McGloin will be our starter heading into Penn State’s first game against Ohio.

Some may be skeptical of McGloin’s abilities and unsure whether he can lead Penn State to a Big Ten title and BCS appearance.  Some believe that one of the other quarterback’s on Penn State’s depth chart should be the starter for Penn State this upcoming season.

These doubts are not anything new for McGloin.  He has heard this type of stuff his entire career.  These doubts do not deter him or frustrate him.  They fuel him.  They drive him.  Thus far, McGloin has been able to consistently prove his doubters wrong.

So, do you really want to bet against him?  I know I don’t.

For the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Staff Writer, Chris Chuff on Twitter.

Does Matt McGloin have what it takes to lead Bill O'Brien's Nittany Lions? photo by Mary Langenfeld-US PRESSWIRE

Likely depth chart when Summer Camp begins:

QB1:
Rob Bolden (Jr.) or Matt McGloin (RS Sr.)

QB3:
Paul Jones (RS So.)

QB4:
Steven Bench* (Fr.)

Others:
Shane McGregor (Sr. if he returns)
Garrett Venuto (Jr.)

This could literally be upside down from what we see on opening day against Ohio University. I do believe though, that the indecisiveness of last year will be gone. O’ Brien will almost certainly pick a guy and give him the lion’s share of snaps in practice.

Bolden has all the physical tools, but seemed to regress last season. I am interested to see what comes of RoBo under the coaching of O’Brien.

McGloin doesn’t have the physical ability of the other guys, but has the experience edge and did improve on his turnovers last season. He will not go down without a fight…just ask Curtis Drake.

Paul Jones is a fan favorite, though he has not yet stepped foot on the game field. By his own admission, he has struggled with grades and with achieving the required amount of credits. He has a fantastic arm and was highly touted coming out of high school but PJ and fans must come to the realization that Penn State and Paul Jones may be close to cutting ties and going in different directions.

Steven Bench is the wild card. It’s not likely that a true freshman, enrolling in the summer, will be able to pass the players above him. However, if none of the current QBs can separate themselves from the competition in the Spring, that may leave the door open for Bench. Steven is armed with terrific accuracy and 4.61 speed to go along with his confident demeanor. I would not be surprised if Bench burns his redshirt early in the season for either grooming purposes, or because he outplays the competition.

Coming up on Friday- Wide Receivers.
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Derek Moye could be back in two weeks

Coach Paterno is thinking that wide receiver Derek Moye, who injured his foot last week while running down his apartment stairs, will probably miss the next two games. That’s too bad, because with Penn State playing every game on a tight rope, Moye’s production could easily be the difference between a win and a loss in any given week. Hopefully he’ll be back on the field for the Nebraska game.

Silas Redd is playing a lot

Call him “bell cow” or “work horse,” it doesn’t really matter. The point is that Redd has 29, 28 and 28 carries in the last three games. When asked about the heavy workload, Paterno said he was a little worried. I’d still be surprised if Redd got less than 25 touches per game from here on out, but when you have a guy as talented as Curtis Dukes in the backfield, it shouldn’t be too hard to get Redd some rest.

By the way, Stephfon Green had one carry versus Purdue to go with his one catch versus Iowa. I’m not sure if they’re trying to work him into the lineup or just teasing him. Maybe if State can score some points against Northwestern, they can actually open a window in which to give Green some serious run.

(more…)

As usual, it wasn’t pretty, but on Saturday afternoon, Penn State pounded their way to their second win of the Big Ten season with a 13-3 victory over Iowa. After being stunned by the Hawkeyes in 2008 and 2009, and then thoroughly trounced last season, it was good for Penn State to finally defeat a team that had been bothering them for so long. However, the win was even more important because it showed State could still play excellent defense even without some key pieces. We also may have gotten a teensy weensy bit closer to just maybe settling on one starting quarterback. Let’s hit it.

Just run it up the middle

I just love writing about which quarterback Penn State should play, but on Saturday that weird situation took a backseat to the rushing offense. The Nittany Lion offensive line of Quinn Barham, Johnnie Troutman, Matt Stankiewitch, DeOn’tae Pannell and Chima Okoli dominated the game while opening up plenty of holes for Silas Redd and Curtis Dukes to run through. Stephfon Green actually saw very limited action in this game as well, but his presence should continue to be mitigated by how well Redd and Dukes are playing. Redd handled most of the action with 28 carries for 142 yards, while Dukes had 60 yards for himself on just nine carries.

On Penn State’s only touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter, they ran the ball for 10 plays in a row before finally cashing in on a play action pass from Matt McGloin to Kevin Haplea. It’s not a stretch to say that PSU imposed their will on Iowa in the second half of this game.

About those quarterbacks

Penn State actually had a chance to take a 10-point lead one possession earlier than they actually did. Late in the third quarter, the Nittany Lions drove all the way from their own 4 yard line to the Iowa 6 before Matt McGloin threw an interception in the corner of the endzone. It was McGloin’s first interception of the season, and it certainly could have been thrown better, but overall McGloin was a positive for the Penn State offense. Iowa had the middle of the field covered well the whole game, save for the time McGloin found Devon Smith on a crossing route for 21 yards. Mostly McGloin had success working the sidelines with Derek Moye and Justin Brown. Brown in particular showed some nice footwork while keeping himself in bounds. On his 19 passes, McGloin completed 12 for 133 yards. That’s not spectacular, but it was just fine for a day in which Penn State’s running game took the reins of the offense. (more…)

But I don’t see much of a difference in the way we perform under either kid, I really don’t. That makes me very, very reluctant because they both work so hard, they’re good kids, good students, good citizens and the whole bit. For me to go out there and say, “Hey, you’re better than the other guy,” because right now I honestly can’t tell you one’s better than the other.

Let’s move on. (more…)

On Saturday, the Penn State football team played another one of those games. In other words, they played a game in which the final score did not sound impressive at all. Penn State only beat Indiana 16-10 and now they are supposedly doomed to wallow in Big Ten purgatory for the rest of the season just like in 2005 when Penn State did not defeat South Florida and Northwestern by acceptable margins.

I’m not partying like it’s 2005 just yet, but Penn State hasn’t lost a Big Ten game in 2011, so I’m not going to give up on them. Wisconsin still looks like the only “unbeatable” team on the schedule, so even if Penn State is mediocre, they can still have quite a successful season. Get ready for some Indiana observations.

Turnovers and Yards

Penn State looked to be cruising in for a touchdown on their first drive of the game when Rob Bolden threw a ball high and wide of Andrew Szczerba that the tight end deflected into the hands of an IU defensive back for an interception. A potential six points became zero, and PSU struggled to score for the rest of the half. In the third quarter, Silas Redd lost a fumble inside the Indiana five yard line for another missed opportunity. Both of these errors resulted in a discrepancy between the amount of points PSU had on the board and the actual productiveness of their offense. (more…)

I know that a lot of fans think that the Penn State starting quarterback position is still up for grabs. Some fans wish that the coaching staff would just choose one guy no matter who he is, just so that Penn State can say they have one definite quarterback. Others hold on to the notion that Rob Bolden was a more highly regarded recruit than Matt McGloin and the other notion that McGloin doesn’t play well against “good defenses.” During the broadcast of the Eastern Michigan game, one of the announcers made a comment that gave the impression that Bolden was a more mobile quarterback than McGloin (Bolden had negative rushing yards in six games last season).

I just don’t get it. The fact that Bolden was a big time recruit and McGloin earned his scholarship by walking on doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is performance. So far this season, the “competition” between McGloin and Bolden hasn’t been very close.

That’s what we’re talking about right now. Rob Bolden has played in games versus Indiana State, Alabama, Temple and Eastern Michigan, and he has only completed 46.5% of his passes. Take out his 11 for 29 versus Alabama and he’s 22 for 42. That’s still only 53.4% completions. Not to mention three interceptions for the supposedly safer quarterback. (more…)

I called it that while the game was going on, but it already seems like quite an overstatement. Just look at the 2005 Orange Bowl (technically played in 2006). That game wasn’t exactly a work of art with all the punting and the missing of the field goals, but it sure was as heart-threatening as the jerk flavored boneless wings I had for dinner on Saturday night.

Anyway, Penn State’s victory over Temple was exciting but ugly. So what? I’ve never been a guy to care how “good” a win looks. There are only wins and losses. No one is awarding extra points in the standings because a team won a game without punting. That said, there are a few issues regarding Penn State’s 14-10 win over Temple that need to be addressed.

First, the quarterbacks. Going into the game, I told anyone who would listen that Rob Bolden was the number one man now after being given a great majority of the passing attempts in the Alabama game. So what if the depth chart didn’t explicitly say it yet? I said that Matt McGloin would be faded out over the course of the next two non-conference games and Penn State would be Bolden’s team by the time the Big Ten opener arrived.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Bolden struggled through the first four Penn State possessions, unable to move the ball even within 20 yards of the endzone. Whether it was planned or not, the coaching staff was forced to bring in McGloin midway through the second quarter to try to jump start the offense. The team immediately responded with a touchdown drive, and although McGloin had admittedly little to do with that first drive, he did throw a beautiful 40 yard pass to Derek Moye on Penn State’s final first half possession to move the team within field goal range. Imagine what could have transpired had the coaching staff not waited 20 extra seconds to call a time out on the previous Temple possession. (more…)

Ali Soheilian’s recap did a great job separating last year’s Tuscaloosa defeat from the 2011 State College edition. Despite the fact that the scores of the games were similar, Soheilian is adamant that Penn State played much better in this season’s 27-11 loss.

“This year, we were constantly in the game and only a score away from coming back, until late in the game.”

I’m not sure I totally agree with that. Penn State wasn’t within a touchdown of Alabama for the entire second half. However, at least for most of the first half, the game appeared competitive. Penn State’s opening field goal drive showed some promise, what with the offensive line opening up holes for Silas Redd and Rob Bolden throwing the ball more than 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

Penn State even got the ball back with a 3-0 lead, but could do nothing with it. The Lions went three and out and then punted back to Alabama, who were able drove 69 yards for the game’s first touchdown thanks to a questionable spot on the fake punt play.

The game really turned in favor of the Tide when late in the second quarter Rob Bolden completed a 3rd and 10 pass to TE Andrew Szczerba. The play looked like it would go for a first down and get Penn State into Alabama territory, but instead Szczerba fumbled upon contact to give ‘Bama the ball back with a 10-3 lead. Rather than attempting to tie the game up before the half, the Lions were put back on their heels and ended up surrendering a touchdown to give the Tide what turned out to be an insurmountable 17-3 halftime advantage.

It’s not as though Alabama’s lead was seriously threatened after that, but Soheilian does have some other good observations.

“For all of you that were freaking out about the pass protection this game, here are the total sacks they gave up against Alabama….ZERO. So let’s give credit where credit is due.”

It was very strange to see Penn State quarterbacks look more comfortable in the pocket vs. Alabama than they did vs. Indiana State last week. In an blog post leading up to the Alabama game, I suggested that PSU ran too many screen passes against the Sycamores and that a more vertical approach would be welcome in the Alabama game. My wish was the coaching staff’s command, as Penn State surprised me by being very aggressive throwing the ball down the field. Unfortunately, a couple of those long throws were to Devon Smith (more on him later) and one ended up in Alabama DB Mark Barron’s hands when Bolden attempted to go to the Derek Moye well one to many times in the third quarter. I can’t blame them for trying, and I’m glad the offensive line held up well enough to at least make throwing downfield an option. (more…)

That leaves the bad news for the football field, where Penn State was underwhelming and sloppy on offense. The play calling seemed unimaginative and boring,  which would be fine if this week was a normal tune-up game, but when Penn State is still trying to determine a starter at quarterback, I’d rather see some more five- and seven-step drops. In the place of downfield passing places, we saw a heavy dose of screen passes to go with lots and lots of running.

The amount of screen passing made it appear as though Penn State was following the offensive script that they plan to use for the Alabama game, when they can expect their quarterback(s) to be under heavy pressure. What was really disturbing was that even versus Indiana State’s defensive front, PSU quarterbacks did not have much time to throw in the rare event of a deep dropback. Once, Indiana State was able to get pressure on a 3rd and long with just a three man rush thanks to a missed block. Another time, Penn State tried a delayed hand-off only to see Rob Bolden get hammered while waiting for the halfback to take the ball.

Calling 41 rushes compared to just 20 pass attempts is no way to conduct a quarterback competition. The way the ball was rammed down the Sycamores’ throats was technically effective, but it did not do anything to convince me that PSU is not satisfied with their quarterback situation. Even when faced with a 4th and 3 at the Sycamore 34, as they were late in the first quarter, Penn State opted to attempt a reverse rather than challenge Rob Bolden with picking up the needed yards through the air. Derek Moye was caught for a seven yard loss on the play. (more…)

Black Shoe Diaries has a sweet interview with college football expert Phil Steele that is very bullish on State’s chances to make the Big Ten title game. Here’s what Steele had to say when asked about 2011 merely being a warm-up for a successful 2012 campaign:

As far as this year is concerned I think this is a much more veteran unit than last year and the schedule really sets up nicely for them especially in Big Ten play early if they can get a win over Iowa. I think Penn St will surprise many this year and have an outside shot of being in that first Big Ten Title Game and if that happens many PSU would consider this year as “THE” year.

Steele’s best case scenario for Penn State involves the team starting 9-1 (6-0 Big Ten) with only a loss to Alabama before losing one of the two tough road games at the end of the season. Penn State’s last two games are road battles at Ohio State and at division favorite Wisconsin, so this is completely understandable. What’s surprising to me is how many people believe PSU can defeat Nebraska in Happy Valley. (more…)

• Anthony Fera is going to be benched to start the season. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a way out of the proverbial doghouse, though. Paterno says he will play it by ear. “We’ll watch how he does things, make sure he’s behaving and the whole bit and then make my mind up.”
• Both Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin have played well in practice and both will get playing time on Saturday. Paterno said, “I’m not a guy that likes to play two quarterbacks. But I think we’ll play both of them.” There’s no word on which QB will actually start the game. At this point, you’d be better off trying to guess which uniform combination Maryland will be wearing on Monday.
• Paterno confirmed that DE Pete Massaro (torn ACL) and TE Garry Gilliam (also with ACL injury) will miss the season. DT Evan Hailes (blood clot) is not 100%, but he’s in playing shape. On WR Curtis Drake (broken leg): “Drake has not done anything yet, except he’s out there out running around. He’s not really had any kind of real football contact or anything like that. And we won’t know about him until, I think they’re going to give him final tests on Friday and maybe he can start doing some things on Monday.”
• Stephfon Green had “gotten in a couple of situations” that made Paterno question the senior’s commitment to his responsibilities. However, Green has since proved to Paterno that he deserves another chance and that’s why he is back on the team. (more…)