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Penn State's Paterno says quarterback decision coming at end of the weekNov 02, 2010 (The Philadelphia Inquirer - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- Joe Paterno sat on the dais in the Penn State football interview room Tuesday and waited for the first question of his weekly teleconference. "Who do you plan to start at quarterback?" he was asked. "I would have bet a hundred bucks that would be the first question," the coach quipped in response. But Paterno didn't have a definitive answer, at least not yet. He said freshman Rob Bolden and redshirt sophomore Matt McGloin would compete in practice, and a decision on the starter for Saturday's game against Northwestern (6-2, 2-2 Big Ten) would be made "at the end of the week." "We are going to let them have a little fun this week, let them compete, and then we'll make a decision," Paterno said. "We are fortunate in that, all of a sudden, we have got a couple of kids that I think can get the job done for us." Paterno, who will be gunning for his 400th career victory Saturday as head coach of the Nittany Lions (5-3, 2-2), added that while he would prefer to use one quarterback, he said the coaches "will probably have to rethink" that, leaving open the idea of playing both in the game. Bolden started the first seven games of the season before going down with concussion symptoms in the second quarter of the Nittany Lions' win over Minnesota. McGloin relieved Bolden in the Minnesota game, throwing for two touchdowns, then played from start to finish in the Lions' 41-31 victory over Michigan, passing for 250 yards and a touchdown and running for another score. He became the first former walk-on to start at quarterback in the 45-year Paterno era. Paterno said the competition would be an equal one. Both Bolden and McGloin will get the same amount of reps at practice. As for what will swing the nod in either quarterback's favor, the coach said, "Consistency ... well, it's hard to say. Sometimes it's a gut feeling." Paterno used the word "concussion for the first time Tuesday in discussing Bolden's injury. He said Bolden had been cleared to play by doctors following testing last Wednesday, but the coach said he was "very reluctant" to play him. "It's hard to predict how certain kids are going to act (after a concussion), even though doctors have leaned over backward to make sure he was OK," Paterno said. "He goes in there and gets one jar, and now he's set back for a long period of time. He's a young kid, and I don't want him to get shellshocked. But he came out of practice (Monday) feeling really good, so I think he's over the hump." On the Northwestern side, quarterback Dan Persa, a Bethlehem Liberty High graduate who suffered a concussion Saturday against Indiana, has been cleared medically to play this week unless he suffers an unexpected setback. Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald said Persa got "75 percent of the reps" in Tuesday's practice. If he shows no symptoms on Wednesday, he will participate in the full practice and should be all right to play Saturday. Paterno said he felt confident with either quarterback in there for the Lions. "I think they are both very conscientious kids that are serious about getting better," he said. "They worked hard at it, and the kids on the team respect both of them. They have different personalities, but they both have their own way of leading. There's not a heck of a lot of difference" between the two. "Bolden is a taller kid. Maybe he has a little stronger arm. McGloin can do a couple of other things. I think we have two kids that are going to compete, period. That's all I can say." Notes. Paterno said injured defensive end Jack Crawford, a graduate of St. Augustine's Prep, planned to "do some things" at Tuesday's practice but did not know if he would be available for Saturday. Crawford has been out since early October with a foot injury. ... Converted wide receiver Chaz Powell played most of the Michigan game at cornerback in place of Stephen Morris, who had a rough day at Minnesota. "He had a little bit of a slump there for a ball game or two, so we decided to keep him out," Paterno said, adding that both would compete for the starter's job for Saturday. ___ (c) 2010, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit Philadelphia Online, the Inquirer's World Wide Web site, at http://www.philly.com/. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |