Penn State, Ohio State QBs in spotlight

Joe Paterno wanted Terrelle Pryor to come to Penn State so badly in 2008 that he headed to southwestern Pennsylvania to personally try and convince him that Happy Valley was a better place to be than the dozens of other schools offering the quarterback from Jeannette High a scholarship.

Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions' interest in Matt McGloin - who lived on the opposite side of the state in northeastern Pennsylvania - for the same class was barely palpable. While the West Scranton High quarterback had drawn interest from a few FBS (Division I-A) schools, none offered him a scholarship.

Paterno eventually lost Pryor to Ohio State. His staff decided to invite McGloin to join the 2008 football team as a preferred walk-on.

And what do you know? The nation's former No. 1 recruit and the kid no one wanted will be on opposite sidelines as the two starting quarterbacks Saturday when the Nittany Lions (6-3, 3-2 Big Ten) visit the No. 8 Buckeyes (8-1, 4-1).

For McGloin, who was the third-string quarterback before getting his big break three weeks ago against Minnesota, it's not a question of trying to prove his qualifications to Pryor or anyone else watching.

"Obviously, he's a good football player, but I'm not really focused on him," the 6-foot-1, 209-pound redshirt sophomore said. "I'm worried about the Ohio State defense. I'm really not approaching it any other way. . . . He's a great football player but I'm not focusing too much on what he's going to be doing Saturday."

The 6-6, 233-pound Pryor, a junior who is 1-1 against Penn State, seems to feel the same way about McGloin but with a twist. As he told reporters Wednesday night, "I've never heard of him."

"We've got pictures all over the place of him but besides that, no," he said. "I'm usually focused on the defense."

Well, maybe you can't blame Pryor considering how buried McGloin was on the depth chart until freshman Rob Bolden was injured in the second quarter against Minnesota. McGloin finished up that victory, went the distance in a win over Michigan, and came off the bench to lead the Lions to a come-from-behind win over Northwestern.

So McGloin now is getting some attention; he taped a piece with ABC/ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit to be shown on Saturday's College GameDay show originating from outside Ohio Stadium.

But Pryor remains the focus, even when the topic isn't Saturday's game. He assured Buckeye fans this week that he'll be returning for his senior season and that he has no intention of playing basketball after hinting a few days ago via Twitter that he was thinking about it.

"I'm a Buckeye until I break all the records," Pryor said. "I want to have a legacy here and maybe someday get my jersey hung up. I think I just have to develop my brain, develop my mind and the way I'm thinking and how I control situations."

Pryor ranks fifth in the nation in pass efficiency, having completed 67.6 percent of his throws for 1,997 yards and 20 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He's also a strong runner, with 463 rushing yards, and has rolled up more than 273 yards of total offense per game.

"Watching him over the years, he's a strong kid," said linebacker Chris Colasanti, Penn State's leading tackler. "He's big, and he's fast. He's got a lot of confidence. He's a dynamic player with the ability to make plays, not only on the ground but in the air."

Paterno said it was difficult to say how much Pryor has improved in his three years of competition because "he was darn good" as a freshman.

"I think he's got a little bit more maturity," the veteran coach said. "He understands his role a little bit more. He bides his time. He's a little tougher to get in tough situations. He's older. He's more polished. And so all those little things that you would expect from an athlete as good as he is, and as conscientious as he is, you'd expect him to get better and that's what Pryor has done."