UPDATED @ 6:48 p.m. Sept. 3: Mike Poorman’s most recent, thorough report from the Penn State-Indiana State game has been posted. It’s available on this page.
Photos from Beaver Stadium are available on this page.
Earlier game coverage is posted below.
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Earlier coverage, last updated about 3 p.m. Sept. 3:
It wasn’t Penn State vs. Indiana State on Saturday in Beaver Stadium. At least in some people’s eyes.
The big battle was Rob Bolden vs. Matt McGloin.
So, who was the big winner?
It could be the woebegone Sycamores, who lost 41-7 but did cash a $450,000-check.
Or maybe running back Silas Redd, who ran for 104 yards on 12 carries. Or maybe Chaz Powell, who ran back the opening kickoff for 95 yards and a touchdown.
It mostly certain could be the Nittany Lion defense.
It which created three turnovers — interceptions by Drew Astorino and Adrian Amos, and a fumble recovery by Jordan Hill. By the time Indiana State’s offense staggered its way to midway through the fourth quarter, Penn State held ISU to four first downs, oh-for-12 on third down conversions and 108 total yards.
Geez, it may have even been Joe Paterno.
He coached the game from the press box, out of the sun and safe and sound. Whodda thunk it back in early August, when news filtered out that the 84-year-old coaching legend was injured in a sideline collision during practice?
For once, Joe (now with 402 wins in his 46-year career) wasn’t the story.
The quarterbacks were.
Bolden started the game, but McGloin had the better stats at the end of it.
Some great passes by Bolden were dropped. And McGloin was lucky a horrible pass of his own — into the hands of an ISU defender — was dropped. It would have been a pick-six.
McGloin led three touchdown drives, Bolden just one. No. 2 QB Shane McGregor had a fourth quarter scoring drive of his own, capping it off with a two-run scoring run.
McGloin completed 6 of 8 psses for 77 yards, Bolden was 6 of 12 for 77 yards. McGloin averaged 9.6 yards per pas, Bolen 3.1
Neither threw a touchdown. Nor an interception.
Bolden had an 11-yard run, with four carries overall for minus four yards. McGloin had one run for minus eught yards.
Who won Penn State’s quarterback battle on Saturday?
I’m thinking Alabama.
* * *
Thirteen seconds into the game — Chaz like that — Chaz Powell ran the opening kickoff back 95 yards to give Penn State a 6-0 lead.
Powell loves season-opening kickoff returns. In the 2010 season opener against Youngstown State, he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a TD.
In the first kickoff of the 2011 season, Powell — a high school sprint champ from Freedom, Pa. — fielded the kick in the middle of the field at the 5-yard line, dodged a few tackles, then zoomed off on the right sidelines untouched.
With an extra point by Evan Lewis, the Nittany Lions led 7-0. And Indiana State looked like the FBS team it is — even moreso after the Penn State defense forced ISU’s offense to go three and out.
And Rob Bolden was not yet even on the field.
* * *
When he made it on the finely-trimmed Beaver Stadium turf, just 101 seconds into the season, Bolden was the starting quarterback — just as expected.
Bolden came out throwing. The first play from scrimmage for Penn State in 2011 was a fake to tailback to Silas Redd and a short toss out into the left flat to Joe Suhey for five yards.
The Nittany Lions deliberately made their downfield, starting at the 23 and in 4 inutes and 59 they travked 77 yards on 11 plays. A key play on the drive was a 15-yard reverse by wide receiver Derek Moye.
Running back Silas Redd, harnering his first start in his PSU career, carried the final nine yards for a TD and a 14-0 lead after Lewis kicked the PAT. Redd gained 16 yards on his first carry, and running behind an offensive line that is both bigger and quicker than the defensive front of Indiana State, looked quick.
* * *
For Penn State, defensive success was followed by offensive failure.
Senior safety Drew Astorino, one of four team captains named on Friday, intercepted Indiana State QB Ronnie Fouch and returned the pick 33 yards.
But when it got the ball, the Nittany Lion offense — with Brandon Beachum replacing Redd as tailback — stalled. Lewis, with Ryan Keiser holding, missed on a 38-yard field goal.
A junior from Gettysburg who also plays wiedout, Lewis got the starting nod when Paterno demoted Anthony Fera, who was the Lions’ punter last season and a top prep place-kicker from Texas. (Fera had a long of 58 yards in high school.) Fera handled kickoff duties for Penn State in 2010, and backed up the graduated Collin Wagner.
FIRST QUARTER: Penn State 14, Indiana State 0
* * *
Matt McGloin made his first appearance of the 2011 season at the 14:19 mark of the second quarter — looking like, on the surface, the Penn State coaches played to give each QB half of the first half — that’s a quarter of the game.
McG looked McGood.
McGloin completed all three passes directing his first drive of the season. The first was a nine-yard toss to the right sideline to Moye and the second a 12-yard curl to Justin Brown on the left side.
After Beachum ripped off a 22-yard run, McGloin connected with him on an eight-yard screen.
Michael Zordich ran in from one-yard out for a TD to give Penn State a 21-0 lead after a Lewis PAT.
Penn State’s scoring drive covered 75 yards on 11 plays and lasted 5:29.
For those of you scoring at home that drive’s numbers were eeriely similar to the Bolden-led TD drive of 11 plays, 77 yards and 5:04. Hmm, I guess there was something to all that talk of the two quarterbacks running neck and neck.
Of course, maybe we should be sure to give Shane McGregor a shot at the same thing. (Or me.)
* * *
Instead, they went with McGloin. Again. And he led the Lions on a 70-yard plus scoring drive. Again.
And Redd scored, again, on a four-yard run to give the Lions a 28-0 lead after a Lewis PAT. Redd accounted for 37 yards on the drive, and McGloin threw for the rest.
McGloin completed a 29-pass to Moye and an 11-yard pass to Suhey. That makes his passing line for two drives worth of work 5 of 5 for 83 yards and two scoring drives.
Bolden and Beautiful?
* * *
Not so fast.
On his next drive, McGloin threw the ball directly into the hands of an (ISU defender) and over the head of Beachum (who couldn’t catch), before getting sacked while scrambling right.
Not so good.
Bolden and Jekyll. And Hyde?
* * *
Then there’s the Penn State defense. Is there ever.
Albeit it is against a team that from 2005-2009 won just two games, but the Nitany Lions’ veteran D barely bent and never broken the first. In the first quarter, they surrendered two first downs and 52 yards — only one yard on the ground as ISU was 0 for 3 on third downs. (Same as Penn State’s offense, coincidentally.)
Defensive end Jack Crawford’s thundering sack of the Sycamores’ Fouch midway through the second quarter punctuated the prowess and superiority of the defense. With a swarm of teammates gathering around the ISU QB, Crawford slammed Fouch to the ground for a five-yard on a third-and-nine play.
HALFTIME: Penn State 28, Indiana State 0
* * *
Halftime statistics:
Rushing — Penn State 28-174, ISU 12-6. Penn State: Redd 10-94, Beachum 6-39; ISU: Bell 3-9.
Passing — Penn State 7-12-78, ISU 5-12-60-1 int. Penn State: McGloin 5-7-69, Bolden 2-5-9; ISU: Fouch: 5-12-60.
Red Zone: Penn State 3-4, ISU 0-0.
Third-down conversation: Penn State 1-5, ISU 0-7.
Time of possession: Penn State 18:20, ISU 11:40.
Tackles: Penn State: Crawford 4, Hill 2, Fortt 2, Hodges 2; ISU: Washington 8, Sewall 7.
* * *
The start of the second half started true to form. The Lion defense uprooted the Sycamore offense, and gave the Lion offense the ball in great field position, on the ISU 45. Penn State failed to capitalize, going just 16 yards before faltering with Bolden at QB.
Lewis showed he’s hardly the dean of kickers, missing a 46-yard field goal attempt for Penn State — his second failed three-pointer of the game.
The PSU offense got the ball right back, when defensive tackle Jordan Ball stripped the ball and recovered in it, all in one fell swoop. That gave the Lion offense the ball at the 21.
With McGloin in at quarterback, Suhey ran for five yards, followed by a sevn-yard burst by Redd. On first and nine, McGloin threw an out pass to Moye, who tried to dive for the score, but came up one yard short. Redd’s rush put over the century mark, with 104 yards — his second 100-yard effort of his career (he had 131 vs.Northwestern at home n 2010).
Suhey dove from the one and didn’t get in (when was the last time we heard that..uh, Alabama is coming next year). On a second try, Suhey ran the one yard to score, giving PSU a 34-0 lead. The five-play drive went 21 yards in 2:14.
Lewis missed the extra point attempt. The Lions miss Fera. And Alabama will not miss capitalizing on miscues like that.
* * *
Is an intentional grounding by Bolden in the third quarter equal a near-pick-six McGloin in the second quarter? Both were bad mistakes.
Bolden led an unproductive Lion drive midway through the third quarter. After a pair of precision passes to Shawney Kersey (nine yards) and Ryan Scherer (seven), Bolden threw an incompletion and then was whistled for the intentional grounding. Compounding the Lions’ woes was an ensuing punt by Alex Butterworth that was almost blocked.
The very next drive, runniung back Curtis Dukes did all he could could to get the Lion offense going — back-to-back runs of 30 and nine yards, followed by a three-yarder. But a pair of incompletions by Bolden and a 10-yard penalty killed the Lions’ drive.
Again.
THIRD QUARTER: Penn State 34, Indiana State 0
* * *
McGregor capped the scoring for Penn State, finishing a 21-yard scoring drive by running for two yards for a TD. Lewis made the extra point.
Indiana State averted the shutout with a 20-yard TD pass from Fousch to wide receiver Justin Hilton.
FINAL: Penn State 41, Indiana State 7
* * *
Bolden was the first person — not just player — to get off the big blue bus full of Penn State football players when it stopped in front of the sidewalk that leads to the Nittany Lion locker room, and ultimately, the south end zone tunnel and the playing field.
It’s been a long journey back for Bolden, who nearly transferred from Penn State in January. And maybe again in May.
Where was coach Paterno, who traditionally is the first person off the first of three buses?
Thirty minutes earlier, Paterno, still somewhat hobbled by injuries suffered in a summer practice field collision, came to Beaver Stadium in a car and made his way to the locker room somewhat unnoticed — if you can believe it.
Bolden, wearing a skin-tight white workout shirt and a bead necklace, was carrying his trademark backpack. The sophomore from Orchard Lake, Mich., started Penn State’s 2010 season opener against Youngstown State in Beaver Stadium. He was the first true freshman to start a Penn State football game at quarterback in a century.
In that game, Bolden completed 20 of 29 passes for 239 yards, with two touchdown passes (both to the departed Brett Bracket) and one interception, as Penn State won 44-14.
But by season’s end — when Penn State fell 37-24 to Florida in the Outback Bowl as Bolden’s replacement, Matt McGloin threw five interceptions, Bolden was buried on the bench. Over the final six games of the 2010 season, Bolden threw just nine passes for 53 yards.
Penn State finished the 2010 season 7-6 and after Bolden was forced to participate in spring drills after Paterno refused to release him from scholarship, many thought his time at Penn State was finished as well.
Saturday, one day short of a year when Bolden played his first game ever in Beaver Stadium, he was back in the saddle again.
After what was a very competitive set of summer practices, Bolden was named the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback on Thursday, earning the nod over McGloin, a junior from Scranton.
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