Bolden leaves game early with injury

MINNEAPOLIS – Penn State freshman quarterback Rob Bolden left Saturday's game against Minnesota after taking a hard hit to the helmet on a second-quarter scramble.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno stopped short of calling the injury a concussion, but said that Bolden "was having trouble remembering some things" after taking the hit, which happened midway through the period.

Paterno said Bolden would be tested Sunday by the team's medical personnel.

"I'm not sure what it is," he said after the Nittany Lions' 33-21 victory over the Golden Gophers. "I think what they did was right, to keep him out. We'll know a little bit more tomorrow. … Nobody would have been comfortable putting him back in."

Paterno's son, quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno, said he thought Bolden was coherent, both when he addressed him on the phone from the press box, and after the game. The decision, he said, on whether Bolden plays next week against Michigan will be left up to the doctors.

Bolden was replaced by redshirt sophomore Matt McGloin, who threw a touchdown pass – his first career completion – on his first pass attempt of the day, and later added a second scoring toss.

McGloin, who finished 6 of 13 for 76 yards with one interception, played the rest of the way except for six third-quarter snaps that went to Kevin Newsome.

"It felt good," McGloin said. "It was good to get an opportunity. I'm glad Coach had faith in me today and I'm glad the players out there supported me as well."

On his second series, one play after an interception by D'Anton Lynn and runback to the Minnesota 42, McGloin faked a run to the right, moved to his left and fired a touchdown pass to Derek Moye. The pass carried more than 50 yards in the air and gave Penn State a 21-7 lead.

McGloin threw an interception on his very next pass, a throw intended for Brett Brackett but intercepted by cornerback Ryan Collado.

Bolden, who has started every game in his Penn State career as a true freshman, completed his first nine passes for 115 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown throw to Brackett. He was 11 of 13 for 130 yards when he left the game.