Penn State’s McGloin ready to assume responsibility as starter

Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.

For the first time in three summers, Penn State doesn’t have an offseason quarterback quandary.

Coach Bill O’Brien put any suspense to rest last week when he named Matt McGloin the starter.

“I can kind of relax a little now,” McGloin joked.

Well, there is the matter of mastering the new offense installed this spring by O’Brien.

McGloin is a senior who split time at the position the previous two seasons with Rob Bolden. Each season, Bolden opened as the starter before McGloin wrested away the position down the stretch.

McGloin finished with 1,571 passing yards and eight touchdowns with a 54 percent completion percentage in 2011. He sat out the 30-14 loss to Houston in the TicketCity Bowl in January because of a concussion.

“It gives me more time to focus on the playbook, focus on mechanics ... trying to keep people together to run routes, things like that,” McGloin said.

“Now that I’ve been named the starter, I understand that I have to work harder than ever just to keep that spot. But I’m glad he announced it when he did.”

O’Brien’s predecessor, the late Joe Paterno, avoided naming a starting quarterback the last two offseasons. Not coincidentally, perhaps, the Nittany Lions struggled offensively. Starting with a clean slate, O’Brien said he didn’t watch much offensive film from 2011 in hoping to make depth chart decisions based on his evaluations from the spring.

As promised, O’Brien waited until he had a chance to view this spring’s film, which he finished last month. Redshirt sophomore Paul Jones is next on the depth chart, while Bolden has fallen to third.

McGloin said he felt he had separated himself enough about 10 practices into the 15-session spring drills that it was “his job to lose.”