JOB
HUNTING
Four challengers get set to fight
this spring for the Lions'
vacant starting QB position
P
enn State was already clobbering Iowa last October
when senior quarterback Matt McGloin handed off to
Bill Belton at the start of the fourth quarter and
watched as the tailback squirted into the end zone.
Leading 31-0, the Nittany Lions were headed to an
easy victory. McGloin, having completed 25 of 36
passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns, appeared to be
done for the evening. On the sideline, he traded his helmet
for a baseball cap as he celebrated with teammates and
coaches.
But when Penn State's offense returned to the field – following a 92-yard Iowa touchdown on a kickoff return – McGloin was still under center. In the press box, reporters
looked at each other quizzically, and puzzled fans took to
the message boards to ask why coach Bill O'Brien hadn't
turned to true freshman backup Steven Bench.
Following the game, O'Brien was asked why he hadn't put
in Bench. The true freshman had barely played to that
point in the season, yet he was the Nittany Lions' only remaining scholarship quarterback following Paul Jones' midseason transfer.
"I just didn't feel great about where we were with the
game," O'Brien responded. "From where I am on the sideline, I don't think the game is ever over, so I just felt like it
was still Matt's game."
O'Brien came from the NFL, where games are more evenly
matched and leads can disappear in the blink of an eye.
But if the fear of an Iowa comeback was the stated reason
