With all the concern over Joe Paterno's injury during practice last Sunday and running back Stephfon Green's suspension from the team, it was easy to forget Penn State is currently in the middle of a quarterback competition during the Nittany Lions' media day on Tuesday.
Both Rob Bolden and Matthew McGloin are still square in the middle of the race for the starting quarterback job, however, as the countdown to Penn State's opener against Indiana State on Sept. 3 dips blow three weeks. It might be awhile before we find out who the winner is, too.
"We don't want to put an arbitrary date on [naming a starter] and say 'We're gonna name it on this date,' simply because it's a date," quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said. "We're going to try and let all the votes get in before we make a decision."
With that, it looks like the competition will drag out at least a little bit longer. Paterno also acknowledged both players could see action, though he says the coaching staff has yet to have any serious conversations about that type of arrangement.
It seems like that's a situation head coach Joe Paterno would like to avoid, however.
"I think the team and everyone would prefer to have one guy in the huddle and in the clutch, you always know what you're going to get from him," Paterno said. "I've tried to not make up my mind until I have to. But I do think that it's a decision that, obviously, has to be made sometime down the line."
Both quarterbacks appear confident they'll be named the starter when the decision comes down.
McGloin, who took over the starting job when Bolden was injured against Minnesota and started five of the Lions final six games last season, is trying to shake off a miserable Outback Bowl in which he threw five interceptions against Florida and came close to throwing a few more.
Though he did help the Lions boost their offensive production the second half of the season by throwing for 1,548 yards and 14 touchdowns, he's faced criticism all offseason stemming from his rough day in Tampa. He's still operating with the mindset that he'll be the guy, though, as the Daily Collegian's Mike Still reports.
"In any quarterback competition, I think the quarterback has to go in thinking he’s the guy, or else he’s going to get blown away," McGloin said. "You need to know that, knowing that every rep I get in there, I need to make the most of it. You have to have the sense of confidence because the team responds to it, too."
Bolden started eight games for Penn State in 2010 and was named the winner of the quarterback competition a year ago. He threw for 1,360 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions before ceding the job to McGloin.
He expressed a similar mindset to his teammate, and would like a resolution to the competition sooner than later as ESPN.com's Brian Bennett reports.
"The sooner, the better," Bolden said. "Just like last year, I hope it's not like the day before the game. We'd definitely like to know sometime soon."
For more on Penn State's quarterback battle, check out Jay Paterno's full comments to GoPSUSports.com below.