Matt McGloin: Superior Against Mediocrity

The quarterback controversy continues in Happy Valley and Jay Paterno said after Saturday's game against Eastern Michigan that both Bolden and McGloin will see time on Saturday in Bloomington, IN. This will do little to please a fan base that wants continuity at the QB position even though the two potential candidates have put up similar numbers thus far in 2011.

Many in State College believe the Bolden has more talent and has a brighter future but for some reason the offense moves better with McGloin at the helm. Whether it be chemistry with the offense, the play calling upstairs, or luck, #11 definitely out-played Bolden this past weekend against the Eastern Michigan Eagles, going 14-17 for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns.  This is a familiar theme for McGloin who has feasted on lesser defenses in the past. So why should anyone anoint McGloin the starter after one good showing against a poor defense when he looked atrocious against Alabama? You shouldn't.

It is my contention that while McGloin is a capable QB when Penn State plays mediocre defenses, Bolden gives the team the best chance to win against defenses at any level.

I want to break down McGloin's stats from last year. He started the final 6 games of the season and led the Lions to a 3-3 record. Let's group the wins and losses together and look at the stats...

Wins--3 (Michigan, Northwestern, Indiana)

Completions: 57

Attempts: 88

Pct: 64.78

TD: 7

INT: 0

Losses--3 (Ohio State, Michigan State, Florida)

Completions: 55

Attempts: 114

Pct: 48.25

TD: 5

INT: 8

Clearly a large disparity between the two stat groups. Obviously QB stats are likely to be worse in losses than in victories but 0 versus 8 interceptions and a completion percentage of 12% lower is too big of a gap. Clearly McGloin had issues in the 3 games he lost.

What do all three of the teams that the Lions lost to last season have in common? All boast quality defenses and both OSU and MSU were ranked (5 and 14 respectively) at the time.

The raw stats prove that McGloin does not give the Lions a good shot of winning when he faces high caliber defenses. This probably stems from the fact that he projects where he is going to throw the ball and seems to have trouble moving away from his primary receiver.

Looking at 2011, McGloin has played adequately with a great performance against Eastern Michigan. However, let's not forget his unfathomable 1-10 for 0 yards against Alabama (oh look...another quality defense).

To be fair, Bolden hasn't played much better this season, including the 'Bama game but at least he moved the  ball up and down the field, throwing for 144 yards, which was actually more than against Eastern Michigan (115 yards).

I am not saying that Bolden is leagues beyond McGloin, in fact they are very close. But although McGloin moves the offense better against mediocre defenses, he struggles against the Ohio State's of the college football world.

This creates an interesting dilemma this year. Arguably, Penn State does not face another quality defense until the last 3 games of the season (OSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin). So even if McGloin starts and plays extremely well until then, it is conceivable that he falls flat on his face to close the season like his 5-INT performance at the 2010 Outback Bowl.

Isn't it worth giving Bolden a shot at starting without McGloin always lurking on the sidelines so that he develops and becomes the vaunted player that Penn State recruited? Would you want McGloin starting another game against a superior defense when all he has done in his career is look overmatched?