Making the situation even more perilous is the fact that Houston's quarterback is sixth-year senior Case Keenum, who holds virtually every NCAA career passing record, with statistics so incomprehensibly inflated he must seem like an F-16 fighter jet when measured against the Wright brothers equivalents that Penn State has behind McGloin.
Minus McGloin, Penn State's top four quarterbacks - likely starter Rob Bolden, walk-ons Shane McGregor and Garrett Venuto, plus Wildcat formation change-of-pace guy Bill Belton - have combined for career totals of 160 completions in 307 attempts for 1,937 yards, six touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
What little flexibility Bradley had was compromised when scout-team QB Paul Jones did not make the trip after failing to make grades, and wide receiver Curtis Drake, who of late had been taking some snaps out of the Wildcat formation, asked out for personal reasons.
Keenum, on the other hand, is the Football Bowl Subdivision career leader for passing yardage (18,685), total offense (19,572), completions (1,501), touchdown passes (152), total touchdowns (175), 300-yard games (38) and 5,000-yard seasons (three). In a 73-34 blowout of crosstown rival Rice, Keenum went slightly crazy, throwing for 534 yards and nine TDs.
Keeping pace with the explosive Cougars in a shootout would have been difficult in any case. But trying to do so without McGloin will almost require Penn State to take the game to the trenches, to control the clock, keep Keenum off the field and, hopefully, prevail in a low-scoring affair.
"The longer you go, the odds of [McGloin] playing aren't very good," Bradley admitted after yesterday's practice session at Dallas' Bishop Lynch High School.
