Penn State will go with freshman at QB
For the first time in Joe Paterno's 45 seasons as Penn State's head coach, a true freshman will open the season as the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback.
Robert Bolden will start Saturday when the Nittany Lions open the 2010 season against Youngstown State at Beaver Stadium.
Bolden beat out former West Scranton star Matt McGloin and sophomore Kevin Newsome, but Paterno said during his weekly press conference Tuesday that all three of his quarterbacks will likely see action against the Penguins.
"Based on what we have seen to this point, Bolden has a slight edge right now," Paterno said in a statement. "But we are confident all three quarterbacks are ready to go and hope to give them an opportunity to play until we settle on the one that gives us the best chance to win."
With those words, the competition rages on.
Paterno listed Bolden as "1-A" on the depth chart, with McGloin as "1-B" and Newsome as "1-C." He noted all three still had the chance to win the starting job on a regular basis based on their performances starting Saturday.
Efforts to reach McGloin were unsuccessful Wednesday.
Bolden didn't arrive on campus until the summer session began, leaving him behind both McGloin and Newsome - as well as fellow true freshman Paul Jones, who enrolled in January - in practice repetitions. But from the start of preseason practice, reports Bolden had begun to separate himself from the pack began to become more prevalent.
"The offense just clicked for him early," wide receiver Derek Moye said Wednesday morning. "It goes back to something (former Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark) told me last year: He's very smart.
"He's such a fluid athlete, and you can tell in his throwing motion and how well he runs."
Despite playing in a run-oriented offense in high school, Bolden was a four-star prospect coming out of St. Mary's Preparatory School in Orchard Lake, Mich., earlier this year. Scout.com ranked him as the No. 8 quarterback in the nation coming out of high school last year. Jones, incidentally, was ranked No. 3.
But Jones ran into what Paterno called "a bad start, academically," and the combination of Bolden's strong arm and quick feet helped push him past McGloin and Newsome in one of the most talked-about quarterback competitions in recent Penn State history.
"He has done a great job," Moye said of Bolden. "He's mature, a lot more than a freshman. But I wouldn't say he has done better than anyone could have imagined. He came in with such high expectations."
Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com
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