Spring practices came to an end this afternoon after the Penn State football team took the field in front of a crowd of 55,000 for the yearly Blue and White game. It seems like the quarterback competition, which has dominated headlines, is far from being solved.

It was Kevin Newsome who took the field with team Blue and the first team offense, while Matt McGloin started for team White. McGloin also saw time with the first team offense, but it was freshman quarterback Paul Jones who sealed the deal for the Blue team after lobbing two passes to the corner of the end zone and into the hands of wide receiver Shawney Kersey.   Those two touchdowns and a Collin Wagner field made the final score 17-3.

There were also questions about the defense, especially the linebacker corps, which lost team leaders Sean Lee, Navorro Bowman, and the mustache himself, Josh Hull. Of course, Tom Bradley and the rest of the defensive coaches supplemented well. Bani Gbadyu, Chris Colasanti, and State College’s own Nate Stupar started for the White team along with the rest of the first team defense. It was Stupar who made the biggest play for the defense when he intercepted McGloin with nearly 6 minutes left in the first half.

Backup defensive end Cody Castor also snatched an interception from a Matt McGloin screen pass and returned it to the 18.

Although he did toss two interceptions, McGloin is far from out of the race, and he could easily be considered the front runner in the quarterback derby with Newsome and Jones. Perceived as a pocket passer, McGloin displayed excellent mobility under pressure along with accurate throws underneath coverage.

As expected, Newsome showed off his superior mobility, but his accuracy remains a concern after overthrowing multiple receivers throughout the day.

With the spring session concluded, many questions were answered, but it seems the QB battle has only clouded. The defense, however, is shaping up for another run at the Big Ten title.

[Photo Credit: Chase Tralka]