It was a long way back from the Outback Bowl.
The junior from Scranton didn’t start Saturday’s game against Eastern Michigan. Rob Bolden did.
But McGloin may have done enough to finish off Penn State’s QB derby and earn the starting nod next week when Penn State opens its Big Ten Conference season at Indiana.
McGloin threw for 219 yards and three touchdowns, while completing 14 of 19 passes, to lead Penn State to an easy 34-6 win over EMU before 95,636 fans in Beaver Stadium.
It was the smallest announced PSU home crowd since Nov. 18, 2000, when 96,070 saw Penn State beat Michigan State 42-23.
McGloin almost had a fourth TD pass, but after grabbing a toss from McGloin, Michael Zordich fumbled the ball out of the end zone. McGloin threw two scoring passes to Derek Moye, of 20 and five yards, and one to Joe Suhey, for 27.
Over those four drives, McGloin ran off 24 plays that went 245 yards in just nine minutes and 38 seconds.
That’s along way off from the Jan. 1, 2011, Outback Bowl, when McGloin threw five interceptions I a 37-24 loss to Florida. Four games into the season, McGloin has yet to throw a McPick.
Not true for Bolden.
The highlight of Bolden’s day was a 71-scoring strike to receiver Devon Smith. The lowlight was an interception into the hands of EMU’s Brad Ohrman. Eastern Michigan took over at the PSU 21, but all it could manage was a 21-yard field goal by Kody Fulkerson. Fulkerson added a 22-yarder later in the fourth quarter.
Bolden finished the day 7 of 13 for 115 yards, with one TD and one interception.
=====
FOURTH QUARTER: Penn State 34, Eastern Michigan 6
Disadvantage: Bolden.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Bolden was intercepted by EMU’s Brad Ohrman, who returned it six yards to the Penn State 21.
Eastern Michigan converted the Penn State miscue into a 21-yard field goal by Kody Fulkerson. EMU went 17 yards on six plays. PSU safety Drew Astorino halted the drive when he tackled Eagle QB Alex Gillett on a third and goal from the 2.
Penn State countered with a 34-yard field goal by Sam Ficken, following a nine-play, 50-yard drive engineered by No. 3 quarterback Shane McGregor. EMU countered with a 22-yard field goal by Fulkerson.
Penn State 34, Eastern Michigan 6
========
THIRD QUARTER: Penn State 24, Eastern Michigan 0
To start the second half, Rob Bolden says to Matt McGloin: ‘I’ll see you your second quarter, and I’ll raise you a 71-yard touchdown pass to Devon Smith.’
And it was so, worthy of ESPN poker.
On a third and 5 from his own 29, Bolden caught Smith in mid-stride — and Moo-Moo has a very fast stride — in the right flat, with no EMU player within five yards. And no one got close, as the Lion receiver streaked along the right sideline for his first TD of the year. It was Bolden’s first touchdown pass of 2011 as well.
Fera made the extra point and Penn State led 24-0. The drive — if you call it that — went 76 yards in three plays and lasted 55 seconds.
(BTW: After spending the first half on the Penn State sideline without incident, Joe Paterno is in the coaches box high above Beaver Stadium for the second half.)
QB Derby Update:
McGloin — 9 of 10, 144 yards, 12.0 yards per attempt, 2 TD passes
Bolden — 7 of 12, 115 yards, 9.6 yards per attempt, 1 TD pass
After taking awhile in the first quarter to get its bearings, the Nittany Lion defense has played lockdown defense against Eastern Michigan. Nate Stupar has had a strong game…and he has had to.
Linebacker Michael Mauti went out in the first quarter with what appeared to be a fairly serious knee injury and has not returned. Mauti entered the game as PSU’s leading tackler, as well as the unit’s vocal leader.
Advantage: McGloin.
The junior quarterback from Scranton came back in to lead the Nittany Lion offense, and he most certainly did. In 10 plays, he guided Penn State 87 yards in 4:22. He capped the scoring drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Derek Moye. Anthony Fera’s PAT gave Penn State a 31-0 lead.
McGloin was 5 of 7 for 75 yards on the drive, and recovered his own fumble on a muffed snap. Curtis Dukes looked good at running back, rushing once for nine yards and catching a McG pass for 17 yards.
On the drive, Devon Smith caught two passes for 33 yards, upping his receiving total on the day to 122 yards (on four catches) — his first 100-yard game as a Nittany Lion. Moye now has 2,026 yards receiving — third on PSU’s all-time list, behind Bobby Engram (3,206) and Deon Butler (2,771). His 17 TDs receiving rank him fourth in Nittany Lion history.
McGloin is 14 of 18 for 219 yards, with three TD passes.
Late in the third quarter, Penn State cornerback D’Anton Lynn was taken off the field on a cart. Lynn was one of three Lions to tackle an EMU receiver. He fell to the ground and did not move. His face mask was removed and after several minutes, he was placed on a board and then to the cart. No word on his condition.
Penn State 31, Eastern Michigan 0
=====
McGLOIN STARTING DRIVES
A little love for McGloin, who came into the game with 10:46 left in the second quarter:
Drive 1 — Five plays, 63 yards, 2:39, 27-yard touchdown pass to Joe Suhey. McGloin: 3 of 3, 53 yards.
Drive 2 — Four plays, 64 yards, 1:41, fumble by Michael Zordich for a touchback. McGloin: 3 of 3 for 50 yards.
Drive 3 — Five plays, 31 yards, 56 seconds, 5-yard touchdown pass to Derek Moye. McGloin: 3 of 4 for 31 yards.
HALFTIME: Penn State 17, Eastern Michigan 0
Eastern Michigan started the second quarter with a punt, after Penn State’s Nate Stupar sacked EMU QB Alex Gillett, who two plays slipped and fell for a seven-yard loss on a third and long.
The Lions’ offense started its drive on the ensuing possession deep on their own 8-yard line after a fair catch by Justin Brown. An 8-yard out from Bolden to Derek Moye was their first connection of the game. A run by Silas Redd lost a yard, bringing in Fera as a punter again. (He booted a 57-yarder in the first quarter.) His punt here went 55 yards — wow!
Penn State again turned opportunistic, as Malcolm Willis partially blocked a punt by EMU’s Jay Karutz. The punt traveled 31 yards, setting up the Nittany Lion offense with a first and 10 on its own 27.
Penn State turned to Matt McGloin as quarterback.
He responded immediately by connecting with Moye, who grabbed a pass thrown slightly behind him as he slid for 18 yards. After mixing runs by Redd and a three-yard pass to tight end Andrew Szczerba, McGloin hit it big time.
He rolled right, saw is receiver covered, then looked left to Joe Suhey streaking down the left sideline. The ball was perfectly thrown to Suhey for a 27-yard touchdown. Fera’s PAT gave Penn State a 10-0 lead.
The drive covered 63 yards just like that, going five plays in 147 seconds.
McGloin connected on all three pass attempts on the dive, for 53 yards — an average of 17.7 yards per pass. The spark McG provides is evident, on the field and in the stands. He moves, makes things happen — sometimes good, occasionally bad — and provides an energy that Bolden has not in his 12 career starts.
Bolden is 6 of 8 passing — an excellent 75 percent completion rate — but the throws have gone for only 44 yards, a tiny 5.5 yards per attempt.
Silas Redd is the only Nittany Lion to carry the ball, rushing eight times for 36 yards.
Eastern Michigan is going against type in the first two quarters. EMU threw the ball just five times last week in its 31-3 loss at Michigan, but the Eagles have come out throwing. QB Alex Gillett is 6 of 9 passing, for 80 yards.
And he can run too. On fourth and 1 from PSU’s 37-yard line, Gillett rolled left to pass, then tucked the ball in and ran eight yards for a first down.
Then the Eagles turned the ball, dropping a lateral that was recovered by Penn State’s Genn Carson.
In came McGloin — and he immediately went to work.
On the Lions’ first play from scrimmage on their own 36, McGloin unleased a 41-bomb to Shawney Kersey. An incomplete pass and then a pass interference call on EMU gave PSU the ball on the Eastern Michigan 18.
McGloin then went to Justin Brown, taking three steps up in the pocket to complete a 15-yard pass to Brown to give Penn State the ball on the 5.
The next play, McGloin completed a pass in the left flat to Michael Zordich, who fumbled the ball out of the end for a touchback. The fumble was caused by EMU’s Justin Cudworth. Eastern Michigan took over on its own 20 with less than three minutes remaining in the half.
Penn State safety Nick Sukay helped the Lions’ offense get the ball right back, picking off a Gillett ass andreturing it 14 yards to the EMU 31.
McGloin came back and did his magic — yes, again.
McGloin completed an eight-yard pass to Derek Moye on the right sideline, then went over the middle to Devon Smith for 18 yards. On a third and 5 from the 5, McGloin fired a bullet to Moye, who was slanting into the end zone, for a TD. Fera’s PAT gave Penn State a 17-0 lead.
The drive was all of 56 seconds, going 31 yards in five plays. On that drive, Moye became the No. 6 player in PSU history to gain 2,000 yards receiving.
Penn State State 17, Eastern Michigan 0
=========
FIRST QUARTER: Penn State 3, Eastern Michigan 0
Midway through the first quarter, Eastern Michigan was mixing fake draws, copious amounts of passes and even a double reverse to keep Penn State on its heels.
Then the Nittany Lions’ D was on its toes.
With EMU driving on its second possesson of the game, PSU defensive end Eric Latimore forced an Eagle fumble, and defensive tackle Jack Crawford recovered. The exchange gave Penn State the ball on its own 43-yard line.
On the first play of the drive, starting quarterback Rob Bolden connected with Curtis Drake on a out pass to the right sideline for 17 yards. That it came on first down was significant — the Lions had not been successful on first down passing in 2011, save for the Alabama contest. It was Drake’s first catch since 2009, after missing two of PSU’s first three games in 2011 and all of 2010.
The very next play Silas Redd burst up the middle for 11 yards and a first down. Bolden went to the air again, hitting Justin Brown on a slant for 11 yards.
With the ball first and 10 from the 18-yard line, Bolden tried to connect with Devon Smith in the end zone. But the ball was thrown on a line — remember, Smith at 5-foot-8 is a small target – and it was deflected away. The Lions went back to Redd, who ran for nine yards.
The drive stalled, thanks in large measure to a false start penalty by PSU tackle Quinn Barham. (PSU’s other OT, Chima Okoli, was whistled for a false start in Penn State’s first drive).
In his first appearance as a place-kicker in a Penn State uniform, Anthony Fera made a 29-yard field goal out of the hold of Ryan Keiser to give Penn State a 3-0 lead.
The Nittany Lions’ drive went 45 yards in seven plays, lasting 3:01.
Penn State 3, Eastern Michigan 0
=======
JOE PATERNO WILL COACH GAME FROM THE FIELD
After being on the Beaver Stadium turf for pre-game warm-ups, Joe Paterno took the field following his players out of the south end zone tunnel. For at least the start of the game, Paterno will coach from the field for the first time in 2011.
11:35 A.M. — FERA, NOT MIDDLING
Penn State has announced that Anthony Fera will do the place-kicking.
The bulk of the place-kicking in warm-ups was done by Sam Ficken and Fera. Fera was trying PATs and also FGs. Last one that he attempted was from 57 yards out — had the distance, but wide left. (He made a 58-yarder in high school.)
Not sure if Fera will also do the punting. He was the Lions’ No. 1 punter in 2010. In 2011, he has averaged 44.6 yards on eight punts, with one blocked last week at Temple. Alex Butterworth has punted six times this season, for a 38.7-yard average.
In 2011, the Nittany Lions have made just one field goal in six attempts. Evan Lewis is one of five, while Ficken — a freshman — had a 49-yarder blocked against Temple last week.
Chris Bahr was the last Nittany Lion to handle both the place-kicking and punting duties. In 1975, he punted 56 times for a 38.6-yard average, and made 19 of 20 PATs and 18 of 33 fieldgoals.
Penn State was 9-3 that season — and, incidentally, squeaked by Temple, 26-25, in Franklin Field.
11:10 A.M. — SIDELINED
The Lions will be without a pair of running backs against EMU. Junior Brandon Beachum has an inured, and has been in a walking boot the past few days. Stephfon Green, in trouble for a couple of off-field transgression, will not suit up for the next week or two.
11 A.M. — CATCHING QBs
When the Lions come out for their early warm-ups, it’s more a casual thing.
They just toss the ball around and work out the early kinks — especially when its an early kink-off. Hey, these are college kids. There’s no way they like these noon kicks…a 9:45 a.m. class is considered ‘early.’
Interesting to see who the PSU quarterbacks choose to throw ball with initially. Rob Bolden was throwing with a big, jersey-less guy who appeared to be Nate Cadogan, who was a tight end last year, then started the summer as a lineman and is now back listed as a tight end. Bolden displayed his considerable athletic skills when his tossing mate threw a high one: RBold lept into the air, stretched out his right arm and snagged the high pass with one hand.
Matt McGloin was throwing with another back-up tight end, Brian Irvin, and No. 3 QB Shane McGregor was throwing with starting TE Andrew Szczerba.
10:45 A.M. — BIG LEAGUE LITTLE LEAGUERS
The national sports world darlings from August, the Keystone Little League World Series team is a guest of the Penn State football program.
Escorted by Jeff and Jerry Fisher — progeny of PSU sports legend Fran Fisher and Centre County/Penn State sports savants — escorted the LL team around Beaver Stadium before the game. They watched the PSU players get off the blue buses outside the stadium, then got a close-up view of Penn State’s early warm-ups from the corner of the southwest end zone.
10:15 A.M. — KETTLE KORN AND PROGRAMS
Rode the elevator up to the press box with the folks who run the kettle korn concession stand on Curtin Road between the Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium.
We stopped off on the second floor to show them the coaches’ box and where Joe Paterno sits. Highlight of their day — especially given the small crowd.
They spoke to a PSU football staffer in the booth, who said the coaches would love some kettle korn…just so it’s there by the time the Penn State coaching contingent gets to the booth just prior to the national anthem. The KK lady couldn’t have been excited.
So, if you see Joe picking at his teeth during the game, you know why…
BOALSBURG TO BEAVER STADIUM
The trip into the Beaver Stadium parking lot from Boalsburg took 16 minutes, door to parking spot. Two weeks ago, the trip the day of the Alabama game (with a much later kick-off) took almost an hour. Not quite the same excitement for EMU. OK, just about no excitement for EMU. Or, it seems, for the Nittany Lions. There are more open parking spots than not — looks like parking for a Penn State basketball game.
My son 16-year-old Kyle sells football programs outside the stadium before the game and inside during the first two quarters. When we parked the car today with literally only one other car n the lot (an RV), he signed and muttered, ‘Not a very good day for selling today.’ His take is usually $75-$90 today; we’ll see what percentage of that he gets today.
Program anyone?
Related content
