RoBo Outflow is a No Go?

Wizard of Odds He's staying: 
Bring me the arm of McGloin of the West . . .
and I will grant your request.

As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend."

Last week we heard rumors that Rob Bolden was "thinking" about transferring from Penn State.  Again.

But according to a Tweet from his former HS coach, that is just not true.  You can read more about that over at BSD.

Does Bolden have some Brett Favre genes in him?  Obviously not the genes that actually allow one to complete a pass, but you know what I mean here.  I'm retiring.  I'm not.  I am.  Not.  Whatever.

It makes my head hurt.

Golf Gossip

I STILL can't hit it straight,
and if I take a divot--WATCH OUT!

I played in a charity golf outing Friday.  At the post-game reception/dinner/awards ceremony, a friend from my church came up to me and showed me a text he had just received.  He knew I was a big Penn State football fan and so was he.

The text basically said that Bolden was going to transfer and that Drake was academically ineligible.  He wanted to know if I knew anything about it.

I wondered about the source.  A guy he works with.  Must be true.  But I hadn't heard that.

So I thought about blogging it last night, but then decided to wait and see.  Sure enough, Black Shoe Diaries is reporting basically the same rumors, except they have Drake being kicked off the team, rather than being academically ineligible. Of course, being a senior with Jr. eligibilty, it is a moot point if he can't play academically; may as well not be on the team.

The Bolden move is no surprise.  Had it not been for Paterno denying his request, he would have already been gone prior to last season.  And he certainly didn't look like he was in the top 2 for the QB position this year going forward--in fact, I would have graded him 4th behind Jones, McGloin and MacGregor.

As for the tournament, it was a scramble, and our foursome was one over par for the day.  (The winning foursome was 15 under.)  I think we're just four one or two players plays away from being a good foursome!  But the weather was beautiful, the food was great, and even a bad day of golf beats a good day at the office!

QB Comparison

Here are how the quarterbacks stack up in the Big Ten:

Unfortunately for Penn State, we have to face the top 3 on that list.  I find it interesting that Matt McGloin edged out Kirk Cousins, although the MSU QB has more attempts.  McGloin is on par with Denard Robinson, at least as far as passing is concerned.

Nightmare on Curtain Road

The Two-Headed Monster leaves Curtain Road and heads to Bloomington.

PSU QB Battle

PSU QB Battle from psucommedia on Vimeo.

Decision Revision

Picking a Quarterback or Child's Game?  You decide!
What is that brown splotch?

Going into this season, the staff of Penn State was faced with a very big decision:  who is going to be quarterback?  It looked like a three-headed monster with no clear cut winner.

You had Rob Bolden.  Much heralded.  Won the starting job last year.  Injury.  Shaken confidence.  Let's face it, this is the reason Paterno doesn't like to play freshmen.  He couldn't make it back into the starting line-up and now carries a chip on his shoulder.

Matt McGloin.  The gunslinger.  Afraid of nothing.  Sparked the team.  Looked lousy and confused in the bowl game.  Is he the answer or the question?  Who knows?

Paul Jones.  The only one of the three that looked good in the wet scrimmage this spring.  But that doesn't mean anything.  Talented?  Probably.  But has less experience than the other two.

Well, the game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets the starting position has just gotten easier.  According to The Post-Gazette and other sources, Paul Jones will miss 2011 for academic reasons.

"Paul's got a problem academically," Paterno said. "He's not had a good run. He needs to get caught up on some things. ... I think he could be eligible [this fall], but he would just barely be eligible. In all fairness to him, he's young, so we'll probably sit him down."

I was looking forward to seeing this kid play, but this setback may have a silver lining.  The staff now only has two choices, which means there is less of a chance of making the wrong one!  Seriously, I think it takes some pressure off a volatile situation, although it would be nice to have three options if injuries occur.

Lot's of people making bold(en) predictions this year.  I'm going to go with Robo leading the team on the field against Indiana State, and hopefully getting some redemption (and pass protection!) against Bama.

Tuesday Todds and Ends

It appears the Rich Rod era has come to a close in Ann Arbor.  Early reports on ESPN indicate that he has been fired, but later reports are now hedging.

Michigan has fired football coach Rich Rodriguez after his third season ended with a school-record 38-point loss in the Gator Bowl, Fox 2 TV and the Detroit Free Press are reporting.

The report comes as Rodriguez is meeting with athletic director Dave Brandon on Tuesday. Members of the football team are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Rodriguez traditionally holds the meeting the night before classes resume each semester.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, who played quarterback at Michigan, has been cited as a potential candidate to replace Rodriguez. But a source with direct knowledge of Harbaugh's thinking said Harbaugh is "highly unlikely" to accept the Michigan job if offered, the Detroit Free Press reported.

I miss him already!  Check out the InSider list RUMOR about Rich Rod to Pitt.  I'm not an ESPN InSider, so I don't know any details, but the thought is entertaining anyway.

In a strange twist of the Bolden Saga, Joe Paterno has apparently refused to release Bolden, per Ron Musselman.

Bolden and his dad, Robert, met today with coach Joe Paterno and his son Jay, the Nittany Lions' quarterback coach.

Bolden's mom, Tonia Williams, told The Post-Gazette that Joe Paterno did not grant her son his release.
Williams said she is happy her son was denied his release, but worries about his future at Penn State.

"I didn't want Rob to leave," Williams said. "I think he should stay there. I just told him that I thought he was making the wrong decision. I really felt that he moved just a little bit too quick and too fast."

Well at least Mrs. Williams cares about the values of her son.  Granted, Bolden may not have gotten the playing time he wanted, but as a freshman at Penn State, the fact that he got ANY is simply amazing.  And I am surprised at how willing his father is to have him transfer.  So the message he wants to send to his son is this . . .  when the going gets tough, just quit?  And the decision was supposedly "made" BEFORE the bowl game.

I can give Paterno the benefit of the doubt on this one.  He may just want to give Bolden and his dad time to cool off and look at things again before making a rash decision.

ESPN fires Ron Franklin for calling a female co-worker "Sweet Baby."  Come on, Ron.  Everyone knows the proper term is "Sweet Mama."

And thank heavens you're not in the Stanford band. 

Orange Bowl administrators, determined to make tonight's matchup between No. 5 Stanford and No. 12 Virginia Tech less entertaining, have decided to bar Stanford's irreverent band from performing at halftime.

The move comes after the band announced its show was entitled: "Recent Events in the Pro Sports World in Miami."

Apparently bowl officials were concerned that the band might mock LeBron James and hurt his feelings.

I'm with Ed Rendell (just this once and very likely the ONLY time ever.)  We're becoming a nation of wussies.  And that includes you, Dick Foust.

To Bolden Go Where No Freshman Has Gone Before . . .

OK, he may not be the FIRST freshman to ever play for Joe Paterno, but his choice as the starting QB is certainly rare and unusual.

As noted here.

In meantime, Robert Bolden starts on Saturday. A true freshman.


Coach Joe Paterno at his ripe old age continues to surprise!

And here.

According to Lou Prato, author of the Penn State Football Encyclopedia, Bolden will be the first true freshman quarterback to start an opener for Penn State in 100 years.

The last, 5-foot-5 College Football Hall of Famer Eugene "Shorty" Miller, debuted with a 58-0 win Oct. 1, 1910, against the Harrisburg Athletic Club.

Bolden, from Orchard Lake, Mich., is just the third true freshman to start a game at quarterback for Paterno, joining Richardson (1992) and Tony Sacca (1988), who were forced into action only because of injuries.

Here's a toast to Bolden!  May he have a great season, as well as the entire Nittany Lion Football Team!

GO STATE!  BEAT PENGUINS!