Penn State Football: Time Is Now for Joe Paterno To Decide on Quarterback

Joe Paterno said he second guessed himself by taking Rob Bolden out after a few series against Alabama. The decision was made to keep his word with Matt McGloin, stating that both quarterbacks would get to play.

"I might second‑guess myself a little bit, because I thought Bolden threw the ball really well early," Paterno said during his Tuesday press conference. "I think he just didn't have any luck. But we had kind of told the kids that's the way we would operate for a while. So maybe we change that a little bit, but I intend to play both of them."

For the second straight week, Penn State gave equal playing time to Bolden and McGloin, as a decision on a full-time quarterback has yet to be made and a competition is taking place on the field. Neither quarterback has thrown a touchdown, and both players have had their highs and lows in two games.

"I think we've made a decision up to a point that we want to play both of them (Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin) for a while until we find out exactly which one we think might be better for the football team and help them win," Paterno said. "But, right now, I think it's a toss up. I think both of them are doing well.  There again, I think I said after the ballgame I'm reluctant to have people start blaming it on the quarterback. I mean, I think we're just not making plays."

Following the loss to Alabama, the biggest concern for the offense was the lack of a true identity on the field. The switching of quarterbacks, in theory, should not have much of a difference in the offensive production, because the same plays are being called. But there is no argument that different players have different timing. Constantly switching players at such a key position has a ripple effect on the rest of the offense, who is constantly adjusting back-and-forth to different abilities, styles and tendencies.

Experimenting with the quarterback situation was perfectly acceptable for one game, against an FCS opponent such as Indiana State. But to continue the experiment in one of the biggest home games in years with Alabama in town was a tad frustrating for some fans inside Beaver Stadium.

My wife, who attended the game in the stands with her parents, their first Penn State game, told me afterward that fans around their seats in the north end zone were wondering why the switching of quarterbacks was going any further. Up in the press box, many in the media were asking the same questions.

The coaching staff has had all spring and summer to evaluate the position and review film from those practices and from last season. The team played one game on the field. Now they have played two. And Paterno still says he has not made up his mind. 

"I'm reluctant right now to tell anybody, 'hey, we're going to start this guy,' because it would look like as if I'm, like 'the other guy didn't play well,'" Paterno said. "I thought they both did a pretty good job, really."

Far be it for me, a 29-year-old scribe, to tell the 84-year-old coach how to do his job, but it is becoming less and less enjoyable for the fans to see a quarterback competition take place on the field. The fans want to see one guy take the snaps and drop back to pass. The fans deserve to see a team find some continuity before Big Ten play. Switching players will only hold the rest of the offense back, moving forward.

If Penn State is going to be a contender in the Big Ten Leaders division, and in the conference (certainly not out of the question), then they need to build the foundation now, with two games left in non-conference action. Penn State's coaching staff needs to get this situation squared away, because fooling around much longer will not have a positive effect on the 2011 season. The fans do not deserve to see this drag on any longer when it is becoming clear there is a winner in the competition.

Make the call Joe. Make the call.

Kevin McGuire is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or via official interview materials from Penn State University. McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Google+ and Twitter. Become a fan of him on Facebook.