With finals officially over at University Park, the wait begins. Only three-and-a-half more months until football season.
In the coming months, there won’t be much news to report regarding the Nittany Lions, but we’ll keep football front and center for the next 110 days or so. In the coming months, we’ll take a look at the Lions, position-by-position.
Today, though, we’ll delve further into the quarterback battle, have a look at another future Lion and look at Penn State’s latest verbals.
Off we go!
Daryll Clark and Pat Devlin are battling for the starting quarterback job.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Why Two Quarterbacks Won’t Work
This is a race, for sure.
If there was any doubt about a quarterback competition between Daryll Clark and Pat Devlin, it was erased on April 19, when the two faced off in the Blue-White Game.
And despite what Penn State coach Joe Paterno says, this is a two-horse race all the way. Third-stringer Paul Cianciolo is fine for throwing batting practice, but let’s face it — he’s not going to be tossing touchdowns for the Nittany Lions this fall. So let’s take him out of the equation right out of the gate.
You’ll remember last season Clark talked about sitting and waiting for his turn. At the time, many armchair quarterbacks talked about Devlin being the starter when Anthony Morelli departed. Clark took offense to that, and he fired back.
“Pat’s a great guy, we’re great friends,” Clark said at media day last August. “Pat is capable of playing. He can play. But not while I’m here. I’m not doubting him. But I’ve been working hard. I’ve been waiting for this.”
Clark sounded pretty confident in his abilities, and that’s a good thing. You need to have confidence to be a success as a Div. I-A quarterback. If there was one rap on Anthony Morelli, it was that he sometimes didn’t look confident, especially in the big games.
So like two gunslingers in the wild west, Clark and Devlin went at it in the annual scrimmage. Both played well. Clark tossed two touchdowns, Devlin threw one. Devlin passed for 122 yards, Clark threw for 106. Clark’s longest pass went for 33 yards, Devlin’s went for 25.
Both were sacked three times. Both had negative yards rushing.
In the end, neither quarterback had a flawless performance. Clark is the better scrambler. Devlin throws a nicer ball. This quarterback competition may not be decided for a long time. Heck, this might be the second-best race of the year, right up there with Clinton and Obama.
If there’s one area where Clark has an edge, it’s experience. He played sparingly last season, completing 6-of-9 for 31 yards. He also got some garbage time in 2006, completing 14-of-27 for 116 yards. He was a key contributor to the Lions’ 24-17 win in the Alamo Bowl, when he was on the field for 10 snaps.
That has to count for something.
Then, there’s Devlin. Unlike Clark, he has yet to throw a meaningful pass during his Penn State career. That’s not to say he can’t be a good collegiate quarterback.
So with the two quarterbacks dead even, where do the Nittany Lions go from here?
Well, spring practice didn’t decide a clear-cut winner for the starting job.
Joe Paterno insists that three are in the race. Quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno is a bit more realistic. He knows it’s down to Clark and Devlin.
“I think we’re still in a very tight competition. They both did some very, very good things in the spring. Pat did a great job today, Daryll did a great job today. We still have a ways to go to decide who it is. I think it’s going to take a little while,” JayPa told reporters following the scrimmage.
Yes, this is a race that may not be decided for some time. Clark and Devlin will work this summer and try to improve on things. For Clark, it’s decision-making. For Devlin, it’s footwork. There’s only one way to get better — work. In 2005, Michael Robinson would gather his receivers and go to Holuba Hall after hours to work on timing, work on chemistry. He’d watch film, hit the weight room. It was football 24/7.
That’s the way it has to be if you’re going to be a starting quarterback, if you’re going to be a success.
Robinson worked his tail off, and he was rewarded with an 11-1 season and and NFL job. If Clark or Devlin have dreams about playing at the next level, this season will be one of the building blocks.
One thing is for certain — neither QB is conceding a thing.
The wildcard here is coach Paterno.
We know how Paterno works. He hates to name names, hates to nail down a starter, especially at quarterback. Insisting that Cianciolo is still in the mix shows just how much he really is on the fence here.
Paterno appears to be setting the Lions up for a two-headed quarterback monster. If he plays both QBs, that’s exactly what it will be — a monster. By flip-flopping QBs, it hurts a team’s rhythm. And not just with receivers. We’re talking about the basics, like handing the ball off and avoiding false start penalties.
The last time Paterno used a two quarterback system was in 1999.
You’ll remember, Rashard Casey and Kevin Thompson split time. The Nittany Lions, picked by many to finish No. 1 in the country that season, lost their final three regular season games and finished 10-3.
If you don’t have a starting quarterback, you don’t have a quarterback.
Period.
It’s certainly not going to be an easy decision for Paterno and his staff, but it’s a decision that has to be made.
Future Lion: Michael Zordich
Michael Zordich always felt destined to be a Penn Stater. His father, of the same name, was an All-American safety for Joe Paterno. His dream came true when he committed on June 1, 2007.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound star played for one of the nation’s top teams at Cardinal Mooney, which came up just short of its second consecutive Division IV state title in December.
On the season, Zordich was effective on both sides of the ball, finishing third on the team in rushing with 951 yards on 126 carries from his fullback position. He scored 11 touchdowns on the ground as well. He also caught six passes for 163 yards and an additional touchdown.
But he shone brightest as a linebacker. He recorded 102 solo tackles and 28 assists on the season. He posted 18 tackles for loss and sacked the quarterback six times. He also forced four fumbles.
He was named the Division IV defensive player of the year in 2007 and was an All-Ohio first team selection as a linebacker.
Zordich was selected, along with Mooney teammate Brandon Beachum, to the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl, which was played on Jan. 4 at the Orange Bowl in Miami. He was named the game’s MVP after forcing a fumble and returning it for a touchdown.
He was recruited for the Nittany Lions by Jay Paterno and took his official visit on the weekend of Dec. 7, 2007.
Mark Arcidiacono verballed to the Nittany Lions recently.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
More verbals
The Nittany Lion football team added two more verbals recently when Malcolm Willis and Mark Arcidiacono gave their commitments to the squad during the final week of April.
Willis is a defensive back from Lackey High School in Indian Head, Md.
He’s 6 feet, 210 pounds. He plays like a safety, but hits like a linebacker. This is a good get for the Lions.
Arcidiacono is considered one of the top offensive linemen in the Keystone State. He’s 6-foot-4, 290 pounds. He had offers from Florida, Rutgers, Michigan State and West Virginia. Also a good get, Arcidiacono could come in and start for the Lions as a true freshman.
He is the cousin of Lady Lion basketball player Nicole Arcidiacono.
In addition to writing for gantnews.com, Chris Morelli is the editor of Blue White Illustrated, a magazine devoted to Penn State sports. He is also a regular on “Front and Center,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.