Penn State football flashback: QB Matt McGloin keeps Lions afloat
Matt McGloin stayed with Penn State football amidst troublesome times. His loyalty and leadership helped the Lions stay competitive in tough circumstances.
Matt McGloin will never get his deserved due. The former walk-on quarterback and current Kansas City Chiefs backup made the Nittany Lions respectable during a roughest time in Penn State football history. When players transferred, McGloin stayed.
When a new coach came in, he worked hard to become the starting QB and set school records. He didn’t get a chance to quarterback a January Bowl team or win 10-plus games, but McGloin earned his place in the Penn State QB fraternity.
Looking back to 2010, McGloin started down the final stretch of the season and pushed the team to a 7-5 record and Outback Bowl berth. The Nittany Lions would go on to lose, but McGloin maintained PSU’s consecutive winning season streak. At the time, the Lions had recorded seven straight winning seasons but that streak has morphed into a 13-year mark with an 11-2, 2017.
The solid season for McGloin didn’t earn him the complete starting job. When McGloin came back, he and Rob Bolden shared time instead. The junior quarterback rose above the adversity and the 2011 scandal to help the team to a 9-4 season.
Finally, he took hold of the starting job under head coach Bill O’Brien in 2012 and became the team leader in his season year. With no bowl game that season, he found a way to rally Penn State football in the most dire straits. He threw for career highs in every category and became ultra-efficient and careful with the football.
He rolled up 3,271 yards, 24 touchdowns against five interceptions on a 60.5 completion percentage (which was more than five points higher than any other year). The Lions went on to an 8-4 season. McGloin went from humble, walk-on backup to star-studded, NFL prospect.
Next. Penn State Football 2018 Player Profile: Garrett Taylor. dark
Fast forward to 2018, McGloin has carved out a six-year pro career playing for the Raiders, Texans and Chiefs. All his success stems back to his career in Happy Valley his ability to stay composed and compete earned him the job. McGloin’s numbers and triumphs over adversity put him in a social place.