[StateCollege] Ask yourself one question before considering anyone else for offensive MVP in the first half.
Can you imagine what this offense looks like without Matt McGloin? Forget, for a moment, the arbitrary numbers he’s putting up in Year 1-and-done under Bill O’Brien. Consider the pre-snap responsibility of putting Penn State in the right play depending on the defensive look. Consider the huddle presence on a fourth down call with an 11-point, fourth quarter deficit. Consider the simplicity of taking what the defense gives and reeling in old habits of trying to make a play out of nothing — even if he reverts now and then.
Tracking the maturation of McGloin through six games has been one key subplot in a season nobody’s seen here in . . . ever. Reward is on the horizon. He is 73 yards shy of setting a career high in passing yards in a season. His 12 touchdowns are two shy of matching his career high. He has a chance to leave this school as the No. 2 all-time leading passer behind Zack Mills. He has a chance to surpass Daryll Clark’s three-year-old record for passing yards in a season (3,003) while playing one less game for reasons his arm has no control.
Of course, McGloin’s legacy was pre-written before the season even started. It has nothing to do with his first-half performance. He is the former walk-on who has risen to be one of the leaders of a senior class who endured a year unlike any other in the history of college football.
Six more games for No. 11, some odd-number of snaps left in a career that started with little-to-no expectations for many, many people. To those who bristled at the Irish temper, ask yourself one question before bidding adieu to No. 11.
Can you imagine what the past, present and future of this football program looks like without Matt McGloin?
We’ve been saying it for two years. Just give him a chance. And B.O.B has put McGloin in the perfect situation, and Mac is doing things everyone but us thought was impossible. We’ve been saying it, and we’ll keep saying, Matt McGloin is the leader of this football team on and off the field. He is representing Penn State brilliantly, and he deserves all the credit in the world. His stats are staggering, but Matt is doing way more for this football program than any stat can explain.
Haters gonna hate.
