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for his decision to leave McGloin in the game, there was an unstated reason as well: Mop-up duty is not a particularly useful way to groom a young quarterback. Better to do it in the offseason, when there is ample time to refine techniques and study film. Bench didn't see much action for the Nittany Lions last year, even though he was the second-team quarterback for most of the season. He filled in briefly for an injured McGloin at Virginia and also played against Purdue. All told, he attempted only eight passes in games (and not many more in practice), completing two for 12 yards. And Bench is the most experienced of the quarterbacks who are set to vie this spring for the starting position. But if O'Brien's strategy goes according to plan, the Nittany Lions can and will have a capable quarterback ready to lead them into the 2013 season. "We have tried to get [Bench] more reps, and he's done OK," O'Brien said toward the end of last season. "It's not easy as a freshman to come in here and learn this offense. [McGloin] had playing experience, he's a fifth-year guy. He knew how to learn an offense and he's somewhat older. "As an 18-year-old, that's a whole other deal. [Bench] has improved, [but] I think he would be the first to tell you he's got a long way to go." While Bench is the Nittany Lions' only returning quarterback – scholarship or "run-on" – O'Brien added three candidates to the competition at the start of the spring semester in early January. Junior college transfer Tyler Ferguson and preferred run-ons Austin Whipple and D.J. Crook have all joined the Nittany Lions and are taking part in the team's winter conditioning program in anticipation of the start of spring practice in March. While Bench is the only one of those players with a stat line at Penn State, prior experience is not the most important qualification. "Getting it" is. Though the description may be vague, O'Brien and quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher have established that Penn State's young signal-callers will need more than just an awareness of what the team is trying to accomplish offensively. Said Fisher, "They've got to understand what we're trying to do and be able to function at a high level mentally. Then, as they understand what we're doing mentally, obviously they've got to have some physical tools to be a guy who we would bring in here. When you put the mind and the body together, that's when you start to function at a high level. "Certainly, we've gotta have a guy who's a smart guy, a tough guy. He's gotta be able to throw the ball, but we've gotta have a good player there. There's no question." The process of identifying and developing Penn State's next starting quarterback starts in earnest this winter. Each quarterback will have ample opportunity to work with receivers in Holuba Hall, do individual film study and spend extensive time with the playbook, all in an effort to present himself as O'Brien's best option heading into spring practice. While it's unclear at this point who will emerge as the favorite, Bench has consistently shown an enthusiasm for the challenge. The son of a longtime high school football coach, the Georgia native has a knowledge of the game that should work to his benefit in the upcoming competition. "Right off the bat, he certainly showed he had some football IQ," Fisher said. "He understood the game and made some quick strides early in camp. He's got a good, live arm, has good feet and is a good athlete. He's a guy obviously that we signed and we're high on. He made really good early strides. "I do think he probably hit a little bit of a freshman wall as the season went on, but we're pleased with Steven's progress. [He's] doing fine and he's where we need him to be, but certainly there's a lot of work to be done, and his biggest [challenge] moving forward will be in the off-season and in spring football for the biggest part of his development." Ferguson, Whipple and Crook, meanwhile, will all be competing to make the same positive impression. Though O'Brien and his staff aggressively recruited Jake Waters, a highly regarded junior college quarterback from Iowa Western Community College, the juco prospect had a last-minute change of heart and ended up at Kansas State rather than University Park. Needing to add another scholarship quarterback in time for spring practice, the Nittany Lions quickly shifted their attention to the 6-4, 190-pound Ferguson, who passed for more than 2,600 yards and 26 touchdowns last season at the College of the Sequoias in California. Ferguson verbally committed to Penn State just days after Waters picked the Wildcats. "[We're] really excited about working with him," O'Brien said Jan. 7. "He was a guy who we felt really was smart and productive, and we had some great conversations with him. [We're] just really excited about him." Whipple is the son of former Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple, a friend of O'Brien's. Crook is a record-setting quarterback from Massachusetts who threw for 8,126 yards and 77 touchdowns during his four-year career. Both earned praise from O'Brien. Though the winner is a long way from being determined, O'Brien and Fisher have clearly established the criteria by which they will be making their choice. "I think if you look across the country, you know that programs that thrive offensively have got a talented quarterback," Fisher said. "It doesn't matter what level you're talking about, whether it's high school, college or pro, you've gotta have a guy who can make plays and protect the ball for you and do the right thing on a consistent basis."

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