Who is Penn State’s quarterback this season? The question is that simple, yet complicated. When you look at the previous season, there is no clear decision. Robert Bolden started the season out until he suffered an injury during the Minnesota game. At that point Matt McGloin took over the position with a start against Michigan. McGloin took the majority of the snaps from that point until the end of the season.
During the offseason, we saw Kevin Newsome transfer out of Penn State, Paul Jones be declared academically ineligible. This left, in addition to McGloin and Bolden, only Shane McGregor (JR) and Garret Venuto (SO), both walk on quarterbacks for Penn State. Another walk on is incoming freshman, John Cabot of San Diego, CA.
Again, the question is, who is Penn State’s quarterback this season? Before I decide on who I think it should be, lets break down the top two candidates.
(credit: Getty Images)
Robert Bolden | SO | 6-4 | 211 lbs | 3.5-3 (half a win for Minnesota)
Strengths: Bolden has the talent. It’s plain and simple to see. His mechanics are solid, his arm is strong, and he’s even a fast runner. Specifically, Bolden is great at throwing quick slants to guys like Brown and Moye, allowing them to pick up an additional 5-7 yards for the first down. Bolden is very calm in the pocket and willing to stand in there and take a hit if he can get the throw off.
Weaknesses: Bolden can also be too calm in the pocket though. Despite his speed and running ability, his ability to feel the pressure and avoid the rush has been lacking. Add to that his feel for the speed of the game, and more specifically, adjusting to the blitz allows for a greater number of sacks (leading to fumbles) and throws while being hit (leading to interceptions).
Misconception: Whether Bolden is a true leader or not is unknown by everyone except for those in the locker room. However, many have assumed that the team does not respond to Bolden well simply because running game did not start up until McGloin started against Michigan. Many theorized that this was because the team responds better to McGloin, however if you go back and watch the two drives that Bolden led to start the Northwestern game, you will see that the running game actually was doing quite well for Bolden also.
(Photo courtesy of AnnArbor.com)
Matthew McGloin | JR | 6-1 | 209 lbs | 3.5-3 (half a win for Minnesota)
Strength: The strengths of McGloin appear to mirror almost exactly what are the weaknesses of Bolden. McGloin’s ability to feel pressure in the pocket and avoid sacks have allowed him the extra seconds to find a receiver. In addition, his aggressive nature has led to some big plays that kept drives alive and put Penn State in position to score.
Weaknesses: On the flip side, McGloin can be too aggressive and force throws into areas in which it can be intercepted. If it wasn’t obvious before, it became obvious during the Florida game. Again, on the opposite spectrum of Bolden, the arm of McGloin is not strong, nor does he have great mechanics with his throws.
Misconception: Not many people mention McGloin’s running ability. In fact, I would say that his ability to pick up a first down on the ground is just as well as everything Bolden has shown us so far. McGloin picked up a first down, ran for a touchdown against Michigan, and also ran for a touchdown against Florida in the bowl game. A team should not leave him too much room to run, because he will take those yards.
Projected Starter for Penn State in 2011
On Tuesday I talked to Tony Pittman, 1994 Penn State CB, on Skype. During that conversation he stated the age old phrase that Penn State needs a quarterback that can manage the game and not turn the ball over. Once Penn State starts relying on their quarterback to win the game for them, they are in trouble. When looking at both Bolden and McGloin, you have two guys that have problems with turning the ball over due to mistakes while being sacked (Bolden) or being over aggressive and throwing the ball in tight spaces (McGloin). The one that can learn from these mistakes is the one that should be starting. Which one is easier to learn from during this offseason then? I believe that it is easier to read blitzes and become more comfortable in the pocket than it is to change the mentality of a player. Who is Penn State’s quarterback this season? Robert Bolden.
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