Joe Paterno and his Nittany Lions have a big hole to fill at quarterback with Darryl Clark moving on.  He was a great college quarterback who could create big plays with his legs or with his arm.
It’s spring football time out at State College and I know Joe Pa wishes he could have Clark around for at least one more game, when they head down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for a September 11th battle with the defending National Champs.
One is a sophomore-to be, Kevin Newsome, who backed up Clark a year ago and seems to be in line, but Philly.com says sources have told them that he has been outplayed in spring ball, so far.
Regarding Newsome, Paterno said, the young man “has made a lot of progress.”
The guy who has shined the most is former walk-on and soon to be junior, Matt McGloin.
“McGloin is a good, solid kid, a smart kid,” the coach said. “He handles the huddle well”.
The other guy who could wind up in the competition is freshman sensation Paul Jones. He enrolled early so he could participate in spring ball, but Joe Pa doesn’t seem to be eager to use this kid any time soon.
“Freshmen! I don’t even know they exist,” said Paterno. “You can’t count on freshmen”.
“I couldn’t tell you,” Paterno said. “I’ve probably seen Paul Jones throw the ball eight times in 3 days. He’s obviously a good athlete. He can run around and move a little, but it’s a tough situation when you walk in, a quarterback playing in the league we’re playing in and some of the teams we’re playing, particularly on the road.
“We’re playing Alabama and Ohio State on the road – probably the Nos. 1 and 2 teams, preseason, in the country – and you’ve got to play an Iowa team that plays great defense on the road. You’ve got to be very careful about what you can expect about a kid that just comes in.”
You could see that Joe Pa wants to take some time to get it sorted out, saying, “We want to get them comfortable, see what they can do, and not do more than what they can handle,” he said.
They will spoon feed these guys and tailor the offense to their strengths. ¬† I could see him rotating Newsome and McGloin for a while if the competition is close.¬† I don’t believe in rotating quarterbacks.
Hopefully, one of them will step up and win the job.
