This is my first post here, so I ask that y’all/y’ins/y’uns, whichever you prefer, to be nice to me. I, like most of you, predicted an 8-4 or 9-3 season and if everything broke EXACTLY right, then possibly even as high as 10-2 (admittedly, this was from too much Blue-aid). I think most of us could agree that we saw some troubles on the horizon; struggling O-line (a recurring theme), an inexperienced quarterback, and massive losses to our front seven. These all proved indicative of possible struggles. I was anxious to see how Newsome would perform, once he was named the starter. Then, throughout camp, we heard whispers/rumors that he didn’t appear to be leading the competition. General consensus was that Joepa certainly wouldn’t start one of his true freshmen, certainly not after statements he made early in the process. Nonetheless, to the shock/excitement/fear of the PSU fan base, Robert Bolden was named the starter for the season opener.

Flash forward 5 weeks and here we are, 3-2 after our second 24-3 loss. The three wins have been against less than national powers, while the two losses have been to Top 10 defenses.  So far this season, Bolden has shown (Buzz word alert!!) great POISE, while having deer-in-headlights moments as well. At times, he has summoned his inner Brett Favre by throwing into double and triple coverage (not to be unexpected from a FROSH).

Now I know the idea behind small sample sizes but let’s play a game, shall we? This game will be called “Name That Quarterback”. The following stats were compiled from the first season each quarterback started for their respective teams.  It is their stat line when playing against two defenses that were ranked Top 15 in the nation in Total Defense.  Of the five, two are True Freshmen, one is a Redshirt Freshman, one is a True Sophomore, and the other is a Redshirt Junior. Below, their stats:

Now looking at those stats, I’d say that all of the quarterbacks compare favorably to one another. Of course these are pretty basic stats, it doesn’t factor into the team surrounding them, the style of offense, etc. I’m just looking at baseline stats that give a feel for how well they performed versus the best defenses they faced. So, have you figured out who they are yet? QB1 is Colt McCoy, QB2 is Rob Bolden, QB3 is Tim Tebow, QB4 is Daryll Clark*, and QB5 is Matt Stafford.

                *Here I need to add a qualifier. For Darryl Clark, in 2008, he faced three defenses in the Top15 of the nation; OSU, Iowa, and USC. So that each quarterback only had two games worth of stats included, I only counted his performance against OSU and USC. I did not count the Iowa game because, even the biggest Clark detractors admit that he was still suffering from the effects of the concussion he had suffered in the OSU game. Right, wrong, or indifferent, it’s what I did. So deal, haha.

I know that most sane, rational fans understand that Bolden is playing well. If he is able to stay healthy, I honestly believe that he has all the tools to go down as one of the all-time greats. He has played against two very good/great defenses so far this season, with one more on the horizon (OSU). To this point, he has performed admirably and if his teammates would help him (for example, give him a running game and hold onto a few passes) his numbers could look that much better. I haven’t seen too many people clamoring for Newsome to take the job but I do know they are out there. I did this little exercise to show that Rob stacks up pretty well against some of the best quarterbacks the college game has produced over the last few years. Anybody who has watched the games has seen that he has complete command of the huddle. This is pretty impressive for an 18 year old, less than 6 months removed from his high school graduation. No matter what your thoughts are on this season, or the direction of this team, I think we can all agree on one thing…..

WE ARE………………..