Sort of makes you wonder if the three or possibly four untested candidates are so closely bunched because their talent level is equally high or, the obviously less attractive alternative, their experience level equally low.
Paterno spent much of yesterday's media grilling trying to evade questions about the quarterback situation as if he were Gale Sayers or Barry Sanders putting on moves in the open field.
Is the mystery guest apt to be sophomore Robert Newsome, who appeared to have had a slight edge going into spring practice? Redshirt sophomore Matt McGloin, the former walk-on who gained parity with Newsome by the time the Blue-White game was held? Or is it late entry Robert Bolden, the true freshman who didn't even arrive on campus until the summer?
Heck, for that matter, the eventual winner could be another freshman, Paul Jones, who was ticketed for a redshirt weeks ago, although Paterno now says that decision is merely "tentative" and could be rescinded as the situation evolves.
"I think, potentially, there's talent there," Paterno said after fielding the first question, which was, of course, about a crowded quarterback derby that seemingly might not be determined until the singing of the national anthem a few minutes before the opening kickoff. "But right now, they're just not that comfortable yet. We'll have to see what happens.
"Obviously, we'll have to make a decision to start one of them. Maybe we'll do it tomorrow night."
The quarterback is not like a baseball team's starting pitching rotation, however. Most teams prefer to announce a starter capable of seizing the position and making it his own, if for no other reason than continuity's sake. A college team will experiment with a dual quarterback system, but a three-player merry-go-round is almost unheard of.
