Whether Penn State will play Alabama with one quarterback or two on Saturday, “I can’t tell you right now,” Nittany Lions head football Coach Joe Paterno said Tuesday.
“I like both those kids,” Paterno said of Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin, his team’s top two quarterbacks. “And I think we’ll do hopefully what’s best — the fairest for both of them and the football team.”
Bolden and McGloin are “both good,” the coach told reporters at a press conference in Beaver Stadium. “Sometimes you guys don’t realize these kids have worked so hard to have an opportunity. … I think we’re very fortunate to have the situation we have.”
A question about the team’s quarterback plan for the Alabama game led off the weekly media gathering. Among Paterno’s other comments:
- The coach said the Alabama Crimson Tide probably rank among the best three or four college-football programs in the country. “It’s not going to be easy” going up against the Tide, he said. “We’re playing a big-time football team — one of the better teams in the country.”
- Alabama Coach Nick Saban has not yet announced a starting quarterback for his team Saturday. Paterno said Penn State will need “to be flexible on defense and be able to adapt to what Alabama’s doing — which will not be easy, because they’re a very innovative football team. They give you a lot of problems on both sides of the football.”
- Alabama downed Penn State in a 24-3 game last season is Tuscaloosa. But PSU has “a better team than what we had last year,” Paterno said. “Whether it’s good enough — we’ll see.” But he thinks the Penn State program has done a better job of coaching this year and has asked more of its players, he added. “I’m pleased with some of the leadership that has come out of the preseason and over the summer.”
- Asked about his own health, Paterno said that “I’m getting better every day” after suffering hip and arm injuries during a practice session last month. Three days ago, he coached during Penn State’s season opener — against Indiana State — from the Beaver Stadium press box. But “I’ve got my fingers crossed” for the Alabama game, Paterno said. “I think I’m going to be able to be on the sideline. There’s a good chance I will be.”
- Paterno said he hopes Penn State fans will welcome Alabama fans as generously as the blue-and-white faithful were received in Tuscaloosa last year. Name-calling and booing don’t belong in college sports, he said. “This should be a great weekend for both schools. … I’m hoping our fans will just (say), ‘Hey — we’re fortunate we’ve got a game against a team with the kind of tradition that Alabama has and the kind of game they can play,’ and go out and enjoy it and root hard for our team. Hopefully, maybe we can come away with a win.”
The Penn State-Alabama game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Beaver Stadium. It’s slated to be broadcast live on ABC.
Earlier Penn State football coverage is available through StateCollege.com’s university football page.
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