Transferring from Penn State back in 2008 may be the smartest decision ever made by QB Pat Devlin.
Devlin lost out on the starting quarterback gig after Darryl Clark won the competition, even though he excelled in limited action with Penn State, including the game winning-drive he orchestrated against rival Ohio State.
Now he is leading the Delaware Blue Hens to the Division 1-AA championship game against Eastern Washington, who defeated Villanova by a score of 41-31.
The Blue Hens defeated Georgia Southern on Saturday 27-10. Devlin did an excellent job in delivering the ball to the open man, going 14-for-20 on his passing attempts with 137 yards and two touchdowns.
On the opening series, he conducted a 16 play drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock, ending with a six yard touchdown strike to Mike Schenauer.
Devlin struck again in the fourth quarter with 6:05 remaining in the game, connecting with David Hayes on a seven yard score.
With over 2,800 passing yards on the season and 22 touchdowns, Devlin has left Penn State fans disheartened.
Joe Paterno ended up starting a freshman at quarterback this season, the first time he has ever done so, and wound up switching quarterbacks halfway through the season.
Rob Bolden looked promising, but showed signs of his youth by turning the ball over to frequently (seven interceptions).
Then came Matt McGloin, who led Penn State to a 41-31 victory over Michigan, and took over the starting job from that point on.
Penn State certainly was in a rebuilding stage in 2010, but you have to wonder what could have been had Devlin been the quarterback this season.
Would Penn State be in the Outback Bowl? Would they be sitting at 7-5 and fourth in the Big Ten?
In my opinion, Devlin would have done exactly what he did with Delaware this year. I understand that Division I-AA is different than Division I in terms of defenses, but Devlin is a future NFL quarterback who can throw the ball accurately, plays smart, and knows when to get the ball away.
Penn State lost out on a great player when he transferred, but luckily for Devlin, his decision to follow in the footsteps of Joe Flacco, who transferred from Pittsburgh to Delaware and eventually found himself starting in the NFL, appears to have paid off.
Now Devlin will lead Delaware into the title game against Eastern Washington on January 7 in Frisco, Texas.
Delaware is a great program in producing good quality QB’s..(Hall,Flacco,Devlin)
Penn State is one of the worst programs in developing QB’s as their Offense continues to be archaic by todays standards. Delaware and Penn States should switch Conferences,
let Delaware go to Big Ten and I am sure could be a middle of the road team like Penn State is
and let Penn State to play in the Colonial Athletic Association and finish with a playoff chance
Don’t forget about Rich Gannon. The first Delaware QB ever drafted.