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QB questions remain after Outback Bowl
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo
Penn State coach Joe Paterno answers a question during his weekly NCAA college football news conference on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010 in State College, Pa. Penn State hosts Michigan State on Saturday.
Associated Press
STATE COLLEGE, Pa.
Up for grabs at the start of the 2010 campaign, the Penn State quarterback job remains a question mark as the offseason begins.
For a change, Joe Paterno’s future doesn’t top the list.
That’s because former walk-on Matt McGloin’s rags-to-riches story to the starting job ended with a dud. He had five interceptions in the 37-24 loss to Florida in the Outback Bowl.
What becomes of McGloin? Good question. But for now, the biggest stories are behind him. After all, McGloin passed two touted recruits in Kevin Newsome and Rob Bolden on the depth chart, and it’s unclear as to whether either backup will remain in Happy Valley.
Newsome spoke with Paterno last month about his future, and didn’t make the bowl trip.
And Bolden’s father was quoted Sunday by several media outlets, announcing his son’s intentions to transfer.
“I’ve got to sit down with the coaches, and as a group, look at the tapes,” Paterno said Sunday in Tampa about the starting quarterback job. “I don’t know what I’m going to do until we have a chance to digest everything and I have a chance to spend a little time with the squad and the staff.”
Paterno, who turned 84 last month, intends to return in 2011, the final year of a three-year deal.
The Hall of Famer, his assistants and players spent much of the last week in Florida denying an especially fast-moving round of Internet-fueled rumors that the bowl would be the end of his iconic career.
After taking some time looking back on 2010, Paterno plans to turn full attention to 2011.
A spate of injuries and a reliance on younger players were partly to blame for the 7-6 finish, the team’s worst record since going 4-7 in 2004.
“We had our moments where I was disappointed we didn’t play a little better,” Paterno said. “But other times, kids snapped back. They stayed with us. I thought, in a lot of ways, it was a very rewarding season. I’d like to have three more wins, but that’s the way it goes.”
The highlights?
Steady tailback Evan Royster ended his career as the school’s career rushing leader, passing Hall of Famer Curt Warner.
And Paterno became the first major college coach with 400 career wins after the Nittany Lions overcame a three-touchdown deficit in the first half to beat Northwestern, 35-21. It was another momentous night in the 50-year history of Beaver Stadium.
The upside of having to rely on younger players is the hope they will build on the year of experience. Royster will be missed, though the Nittany Lions have a stable of backs waiting to assume the load, led by talented freshman Silas Redd and junior Brandon Beachum, a Mooney High graduate who redshirted this year while rehabbing an ACL injury.