For Penn St., QB competition

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Joe Paterno left Penn State's most pressing question unanswered: What's the timetable to determine the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback?

"There is no timetable," Paterno said during Wednesday's spring football practice news conference at the Lasch Football Building. "We just want to get comfortable. Find out what they can do. And not try to do more than they can handle."

That's fine.

But folks want to know if Kevin Newsome will get the nod or if former walk-on Matt McGloin wins. Another scenario could involve starting the first Nittany Lions true freshman at quarterback since Wally Richardson in 1992. Highly touted Paul Jones, who enrolled in January, has shown promise during spring practice.

"Freshmen! I don't even know they exist," said Paterno, whose squad travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to face national champion Alabama on Sept. 11. "You can't count on freshmen.

"Do you want to go down to Tuscaloosa with freshmen?"

With that said, the race is between Newsome and McGloin. There would be no race if former Downingtown East quarterback Pat Devlin did not transfer to Delaware, where he is a senior this year.

Newsome, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore-to-be, was Daryll Clark's backup last season.

The Portsmouth, Va. native completed 8 of 11 passes for 66 yards and rushed 20 times for 95 yards and two touchdowns in mostly a mop-up role. Last season, his mechanics and command of the huddle came into question.

"I watched Kevin quite a bit just to see how he is handling the huddle," Paterno said. "I think he's made good progress. He's got a ways to go. But he's made good progress.

McGloin, a 6-1, 204-pound redshirt junior to be, saw very little action last season.

But according to sources, he has looked better than Newsome during Penn State's first three spring practices, which were closed to the media.

"McGloin is a good, solid kid, a smart kid," the coach said. "He handles the huddle well.

"Like I said, I'm not sure where we are going with the quarterback situation right now. Obviously, we don't have an established kid who's played a lot of football."

As a result, Paterno said that Penn State plans to take a step-by-step process in determining a starter.

In addition to finding a starting quarterback, the Lions lost last season's three starting linebackers. Paterno said returning contributors Chris Colasanti, Bani Gbadyu, and Nathan Stupar are potential candidates for the starting lineup.

"I'm probably missing somebody else," he said. "That's a position that I don't study as much, because I think we are in pretty good shape there."

Other news and observations from the spring so far:

Defensive backs. Chaz Powell has been switched to cornerback from wide receiver. The 6-1, 197-pound junior to be had 28 receptions for 366 yards and three touchdowns.

Playing in the defensive backfield isn't foreign to Powell. He was a standout defensive back in high school, and practiced at that position while redshirted in 2007.

Running back. Looking to keep him fresh for the new season, Penn State will give Evan Royster a small workload this spring. The senior-to-be will enter his third season as a starter.

"Royster doesn't have a lot to prove to us," Paterno said of the first-team all-Big Ten selection. "He's a darn good all-around football player. And I certainly don't want to get him knocked around until we are sure what we are doing."

Offensive line. Paterno plans to start senior-to-be Stefen Wisniewski at center for the second consecutive season unless the coach finds suitable replacement. The 6-3, 297-pound Wisniewski started at guard as a true freshman and sophomore.