Blue White Illustrated

SPRING FOOTBALL WRAP| PENN STATE VS. HOUSTON with 113 passing yards. Bolden had a game-high seven completions on 14 attempts, but he also threw three interceptions. O'Brien and quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher tried to ensure that the three quarterbacks got about the same number of snaps in the game. That was their approach throughout the spring as they worked to institute the new offense and familiarize players with the finer points of an unfamiliar playbook. And it hasn't been merely the plays and terminology that have changed. To hear McGloin tell it, the new staff members have dealt with players in a more straightforward manner. "We're communicating more. We're having more fun out there," the sen- ior said. "The most important thing is, we're being told the truth. Coach [O'Brien] is being honest with us. In the past, that really hasn't hap- pened too much. "They're telling you what you're doing wrong each and every day," he continued, "and they're telling you where you're at each and every day. That's something that didn't really happen in the past. I'm happy about that, and I really appreciate it." What they've been telling McGloin following a junior season in which he completed 54.1 percent of his passes for 1,571 yards has been to avoid the risky throws that lead to turnovers. He made one of those throws in the Blue-White Game, and the across-the-field heave was inter- cepted by Jesse Della Valle and re- turned 35 yards. Fisher cringed, but amid moments like those, he's also seen glimpses of McGloin's poten- tial. "When Matt plays within himself and doesn't try to force anything, he does a really good job," Fisher said. "And he knows that. He knows that as long as he stays within his skill set, he does a good job." Fisher said McGloin got better as spring practice went on. He said Jones has shown big-play potential – a point of emphasis for the new coaching staff – and that Bolden needs to improve his consistency. 20 J U N E 1 , 2 0 1 2 "We'll continue to evaluate them," Fisher said. "We'll take a look at this tape and grade it and get a great look at it." McGloin said the coaches threw something new at players every day in practice this spring. He said it was a challenge to keep up, but he added that he expects the payoff to come this fall. "You have to be a 24-hour-a-day quarterback," he said. "You can't just go home and not do anything. You have to have your head in the playbook. It's like learning a foreign language. You have to continue to practice it." McGloin and his fellow quarter- backs went into spring practice with a clean slate as far as O'Brien was concerned. The only game film from last year that the Lions' new coach watched was from the Alabama game, and that was just to see how the players he had inherited matched up against an elite oppo- nent. The Nittany Lions didn't fare very well in that game. Bolden was 11 of 29 for 144 yards, and McGloin was even worse, hitting 1 of 10 at- tempts for no yards. The Nittany Li- ons lost decisively, 27-11. "Last year's offense wasn't great at all," McGloin said, punctuating his assessment with a humorless chuckle. "But [O'Brien] is running a completely different show. He want- ed to start everyone off with a clean slate, and he's done that. He's eval- uating us basically on the 15 prac- tices we've had. "These guys know what they want. Coach O'Brien and Coach Fisher are both demanding guys. They want a quarterback who's going to run the show out there. Coach O'Brien has said that many, many times. I know that all the quarterbacks are excit- ed, especially me." Fifteen practices aren't a lot, and McGloin admitted he's "not 100 per- cent comfortable" with all the changes that O'Brien and Fisher have instituted. But as spring gives way to summer and the team starts turning its attention to preseason practice, that's likely to change. "Come camp," McGloin said, "there are gonna be some arguments." GAINING GROUND In his THREE STARS FROM THE BLUE-WHITE GAME debut at tailback, Belton rushed for a game-high 50 yards. Steve Manuel BILL BELTON Slowed by tendonitis in his knee this spring, Silas Redd didn't play much in the Blue-White Game, finishing with only three carries. His projected backup this fall, Curtis Dukes, didn't play at all; he spent the spring working to improve his grades. Into the void at tailback stepped Belton. The sophomore looked quick and decisive in rushing for a game-high 50 yards on seven carries. It was his public debut at tailback after starting his career at wide receiver. PAUL JONES Much hyped but little seen, Jones made enough of an im- pression in the first half of the Blue-White Game that for a while he was trending on Twitter (along with "Encino Man" and "The Flint- stones"). He finished with 113 yards passing, including a nice 42-yard completion to Shawney Kersey. He also had a second-quarter inter- ception and overthrew several receivers on deep passes, but he showed enough potential to fuel a summer of speculation about his chances of pulling an upset in the competition for the staring posi- tion. ALLEN ROBINSON Bill O'Brien said following the game he wants to spread the ball around in his offense. That would certainly help ex- plain why 13 players had receptions in the Blue-White Game. The leader was Robinson, a sophomore who had three catches for 87 yards. – M.H. W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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