Saturday’s Big 10 game a matchup of two QBs

Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.

Two players who have traveled divergent paths to high-profile quarterback jobs will face each other Saturday at the Horseshoe.

Most Big Ten fans are familiar with the story of No. 8 Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor, the top high school senior in the country who spurned his home-state Penn State Nittany Lions for the Buckeyes (8-1, 4-1).

Almost no one outside of Pennsylvania had heard of walk-on Matt McGloin — until he threw seven touchdowns over his last three games to lead resurgent Penn State (6-3, 3-2) and unseat promising freshman Rob Bolden. Coach Joe Paterno tabbed McGloin the starter this week, but hinted that Bolden may also play.

“You just have to prepare for anything. [McGloin] is obviously playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Ohio State defensive end Cameron Heyward said. “Those are the most dangerous ones.”

So the annual grudge match features a quarterback once seemingly destined for perennial mop-up duty vs. the former No. 1 recruit in the country.

McGloin is a redshirt sophomore, so he and Pryor, a junior, were in the same recruiting class three seasons ago. McGloin threw for more than 5,400 yards and 58 touchdowns as a three-year starter at West Scranton High School.

But McGloin didn’t possess the kind of talent that had college coaches salivating over Pryor.

Pryor assumed the starting job early his freshman year and has become one of the country’s most recognizable players and dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks, averaging more than 273 yards of total offense.

“He’s older. He’s more mature. He’s more polished,” Paterno said. “And so all those little things that you would expect an athlete as good as he is and as conscientious as he is, you’d expect him to get better and that’s what Pryor’s done.”

McGloin decided to pursue his dreams and go to Penn State as a preferred walk-on.

“To be honest with you, I knew my time was going to come, it just happened right now,” McGloin said. “I guess I’m living proof that it can happen.”