Heading into his weekly press conference Joe Paterno knew exactly what to expect. Sitting behind the over-sized media table Paterno fielded the first question of the afternoon, which of course, was about the quarterbacks. " I would have bet anybody 100 bucks the first question would have been about the QBs" Paterno joked. But like all Paterno press conferences he has done this dance before, giving an equally expected and rehearsed response. "I like both of those kids and we'll do what's best for them and the football team" Paterno said, giving up no new information regarding the starting quarterback race.
Ultimately Paterno is correct with his assessment. A combined twenty throws between the two quarterbacks against Indiana State was not, and shouldn't have been, enough to clearly determine a starter. Starting only McGloin could cause Rob Bolden to transfer, crippling Penn State's depth at Quarterback. Starting Bolden, gives you a raw quarterback once again going up against top-talent. With no true front-runner, a dual quarterback system is ultimately Penn State's only real option.
While fans and media might find the quarterback to be the deciding factor in the remainder of the season, more importantly this weekend's game against Alabama, Derek Moye feels quite differently.
"I feel like we are a more experienced offense this year, we had a lot of inexperience last season at key positions, so that helps with the turnover problem from last year. We are hoping to go out this year and not commit as many turnovers as last year."
Moye's point is in all likelihood the foundation of winning or losing this weekend. Last season Penn State could claim that their extremely young, and injured roster was the reason behind their losses. Certainly these factors played into some of the failures of last season, but with a clean bill of health and an improved squad these reasons won't cut it.
On the quarterback side of things even though Moye doesn't feel the quarterback will make a huge difference in the outcome of the game, that doesn't mean he prefers a two-quarterback system. "You definitely want to have one quarterback, but the coaches are doing what’s best for the team. They aren't going to try and hurt the team, so we all trust their judgments."
In the end Penn State can only practice hard, and rest up to prepare for one of the most anticpated Penn State games of the past few years. With or without two quarterbacks it will take a total team effort to beat an Alabama team looking for another national title.