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14 I Friday, Sept. 3, 2010
Photo illustration/Ashley Buck
Robert Bolden joins Wally Richardson and Tony Sacca as the only true freshmen to start at quarterback in Joe Paterno’s 45-year career as head football coach at Penn State.
BOLD MOVE, JOE
2010 season starts with unprecedented QB choice
By Audrey Snyder
COLLEGIAN STA-F WRITER
When four blue school buses
pull up to Beaver Stadium for
Saturday's home opener against
Youngstown State, there’s no
longer a question as to who will
step off the bus behind Joe
Patemo.
Robert Bolden is the first true
freshman quarterback to open the
season as the starter during the
Paterno era, seating him across
from Paterno in the first row on
the first bus.
The unprecedented move to
start Bolden in his first collegiate
game will challenge the young
quarterback both physically and
mentally. But to figure out if
Bolden has the goods to maintain
the starting job, Paterno will
throw history by the wayside and
let him play.
"It is unusual for Penn State
and unprecedented for Joe
Paterno to go with a true fresh
man at quarterback,” said former
Nittany Lions quarterback and
college football analyst, Todd
Blackledge. “For a guy who hasn’t
been there all that long, Bolden
obviously made a good enough
impression in his time there.”
Matt McGloin and Kevin
Newsome are listed as IB and 1C
on Saturday’s depth chart, but
Blackledge said Bolden’s true test
is how quickly he can acclimate to
Daily Collegian Predictions
Andrew J. Cassavell
Score: PSU 42, YSU 3
What’s good: Linebackers don't
miss a beat.
What’s bad: Top-ranked Alabama
is next.
What to look for: Bolden plays the
whole first half.
the speed of a college game.
During Bolden’s time at St.
Mary’s Preparatory in Michigan,
quarterbacks coach Don
Buchanan was certain Bolden
could challenge for Penn State’s
starting job.
The four-star recruit’s intelli
gence was an attribute Buchanan
and St. Mary’s head coach,
George Porritt both said make
Bolden unique.
Though Buchanan didn’t realize
history worked against Bolden, as
the quarterback spoke to his
coach about his desire to start
right away no matter what college
he chose, a few trips to State
College during Bolden’s junior
year of high school helped reaf
firm the coach’s beliefs.
“The first time we went out to
Penn State to watch spring prac
tice, Daryll [Clark] was the quar
terback and we saw Kevin
[Newsome] there,” Buchanan
said. “I looked at Robert and flat
out told him, ‘lf you come here,
he’s gonna be here. But I can tell
you this much; you can compete
with him.’ ”
Buchanan also told Bolden he
would need to pick up the Lions’
offense quickly to have a shot at
starting, something the quarter
back took to heart, spending time
studying installments of the play
book after Signing Day.
But the fact Bolden didn’t step
on campus until one day after his
PENN STATE
vs.
YOUNGSTOWN
STATE
Time: Noon Saturday
Place: Beaver Stadium
TV: Big Ten Network
high school graduation in May is
what surprised former Penn State
broadcaster Fran Fisher the most
about the decision on the winning
quarterback candidate.
“He’s the one who didn’t attend
in the spring like [Paul] Jones
did,” Fisher said. “But when Joe
has a decision to make, experi
ence is usually a big factor. I have
confidence in who they selected
since I know Joe watches a lot of
video of what they do in practice.”
Though experience has been a
factor in many of the recent quar-
Brendan Monahan
T Score: PSU 34, YSU 9
% What’s good: Bolden’s debut
m comes in opener.
P What’s bad: Empty stadium for
* the second half.
‘ What to look for: QB tryouts.
terback battles as Paterno is
known for giving the older guys
the first shot at starting if a
freshman quarterback has
enough poise, moxie and confi
dence, Paterno would be forced to
reconsider his ways, Blackledge
said.
According to Lou Prato's Penn
State Football Encyclopedia,
Eugene Miller was the last fresh
man to start at quarterback for the
season opener, and that was in
1910. Tony Sacca (1988) and Wally
Richardson (1992) were previous
ly the only Patemo-coached quar
terbacks who have started as true
freshmen.
Paterno’s decision to go with
the least experienced player,
which may have included advice
and input from his assistants, is
something Prato said is historic in
its own right.
“This shows that Joe can adapt
to the present times, and it also
shows that Joe says what he
means when he said that he was
n’t sure which quarterback was
good enough to start,” Prato said.
“He said he’d start the best one he
thinks is capable at this time. He
thinks the others have weakness
es and that* Bolden has strengths.”
But seeing how Bolden reacts to
various defenses and watching
how he handles himself under
pressure are components to the
game Blackledge said Lions’ fans
will watch closely.
The Daily Collegian
How the freshman responds to
a mistake and how he takes com
mand in the huddle are aspects
that will be looked at during the
game. With any young starter,
Blackledge said his success is
equally dictated by his decision
making and by his physical tools.
With all three quarterbacks
expected to see time during
Saturday’s game, it’s unknown
whether or not the coaches will
keep Bolden on a short leash.
“They hope they can open the
season with a big enough win to
play all three guys and keep all
three interested,” Blackledge
said.
“But I don’t think it’s something
where he has to worry about los
ing his job in the first week. By
going with the true freshman, it
indicates that he’s their guy.”
But going with Bolden as the
player in charge of the offense also
sends a message to the rest of the
team.
“A quarterback can win a game
for you pretty quickly, and he can
also lose a game for you pretty
quickly,” quarterbacks coach Jay
Patemo said last month. “I think
the fact that we pull up near the
stadium and the quarterback is
the first guy off the bus kind of
makes a statement to our team as
to how much we value that posi
tion.”
To e-mail reporter: aass22o@psu.edu.
Audrey Snyder
Score: PSU 45, YSU 10
What’s good: Royster starts pursuit
of rushing record.
What’s bad: A noon kick on my
21st birthday.
What to look for: The cohesiveness
of the offensive line.