Blue White Illustrated

senior center from the warmer climes of North Carolina. "And I'm only eight hours away [by car]. He's an eighthour plane ride away." Ferguson and Bench were both playing for the first time in Beaver Stadium on Saturday, the former having arrived on campus less than four months ago as a sophomore transfer from College of the Sequoias, the latter having played in only two games during his true freshman season, both of them on the road. So the BlueWhite Game, which was won by the defense, 67-47, using a scoring system that even the Nittany Lions' resident math wiz John Urschel might have trouble explaining, was a milestone of sorts in the buildup to Penn State's 2013 season. But if anyone showed up on Saturday hoping to witness a decisive moment in the battle for the team's vacant starting quarterback position – and at least a few of the 28,000 people on hand had to be thinking along those lines – they likely came away disappointed. The game was inconclusive. How inconclusive? Consider the final stats: Ferguson completed 9 of 15 passes for 90 yards. Bench completed 9 of 15 for 99 yards. Ferguson threw two touchdown passes. Bench threw one. "I thought they both produced," coach Bill O'Brien said. "I thought they both had some nice throws. Just like everybody, coaches and players included, in every game that you play, you wish you had some plays back. I'm sure they do, too. But I thought they both did some decent things today." This year's quarterback battle is cloaked in even more mystery than last year's. A year ago, O'Brien let the competition play out over the spring, then spent time evaluating the practice films before naming Matt McGloin the starter over Paul Jones and Rob Bolden at the beginning of the summer. This year, the battle is likely to continue into preseason camp, when Ferguson and Bench will be joined on campus by freshman recruit Christian Hackenberg, who was on hand for the Blue-White Game. O'Brien said it's tough to groom three quarterbacks in preseason camp because there are only so many A P R I L IN GOOD HANDS Ferguson threw a team-high two touchdown passes. He finished with nine completions on 15 attempts for 90 yards. Steve Manuel SCORING SUMMARY*  1ST 7:40 PSU Lynch, Akeel 1-yard run (Ficken, Sam kick) 2ND 9:28 PSU James, Jesse 27-yard pass from Ferguson, Tyler 3RD 5:15 PSU Wilkerson, Brent 6-yard pass from Bench, Steven (DiSanto, Kevin kick) 4TH 11:19 PSU Anderson, Richy 5-yard pass from Ferguson, Tyler (Ficken, Sam kick failed) * Offensive scoring plays only. snaps to be taken. So eventually some hard decisions will have to be made. "We've gotta do a good job of making sure where these two guys stand and make sure they know where they stand," O'Brien said. "Then when training camp starts, we've gotta give Christian some reps and let him get in there and compete and see how that goes. But we're a long way off from that. It's a decision that has to be made at some point in time, but not today." Adding to the intrigue, neither Bench nor Ferguson appeared in the media room following the Blue-White Game, nor did quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher. With the team's two most buzzed-about players absent, their teammates fielded question after question about the quarterback spot. Receiver Allen Robinson echoed O'Brien's views on the competition, saying Bench and Ferguson are comparable in many ways. "They both have strong arms, and as far as them being able to recognize coverages and learn quickly – those are two good things that they both can do," Robinson said. "There aren't too many differences." 2 0 , 2 0 1 3 2 Robinson said he's tried to spend time with Ferguson in the film room to help him get acclimated to Penn State football. He said other players have reached out to the native Californian as he looks to establish himself on campus, including veteran offensive linemen Howle and Urschel. "As a team, we've tried to take him under our wing," Robinson said. "We know how hard it can be for someone who's far from home, especially coming in January. He's definitely gotten acclimated with the team. … We're just doing some small things to help him get caught up with where we left off last fall. I think he's done a good job of picking that up." O'Brien said the next step in his evaluation process will be to watch film of all the team's spring practice sessions in hope of coming away with a more specific idea of what Ferguson and Bench can do. "I think both guys did some really good things. I've said that all spring," he said. "I'm not any closer [to making a decision] as I sit here right now, but I enjoyed coaching both guys. Obviously, I have to make a decision, but I'm not ready to make it right now." B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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