McQueary ignites offense

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Following the 21-20 loss to Iowa last week, Penn State coach Joe Paterno said the team's offensive woes were not the fault of Nittany Lion quarterback Wally Richardson.

But through a quarter and a half of the Lions' 48-26 win Saturday over Indiana, Richardson once again was largely ineffective for the then-No. 17 Lions. So after completing just 3 of 7, the Lion starter was benched in favor of redshirt junior Mike McQueary.

- Wally Richardson, Penn State quarterback

But it was a move many Penn State fans had been clamoring for since early in the season.

Richardson entered the year as a consensus first-team All-Big Ten pick, but he began the 1996 campaign with a shaky performance against Southern California in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

On the season, Richardson has completed just 48.6 percent of his passes, along with seven interceptions and just four touchdowns.

"Wally's worked so hard and has so much potential," Paterno said of his beleaguered signal caller, "but he's pressing a little bit right now."

When McQueary entered the game, the Lion offense continued to sputter, much like it had with Richardson at the helm.

First, it was a dropped ball by Lion wide receiver Joe Jurevicius on a first-and-10 at the Penn State 48-yard line. One play later, it was an incomplete pass to tight end Cuncho Brown in the middle of the field.

Following a Penn State false-start penalty, the Lions faced a third-and-15 with six minutes remaining in the first half. But McQueary hit Jurevicius in stride on the left sideline for a 57-yard touchdown to tie the game at 10-10.

"It was great," McQueary said of his first completion. "(Jurevicius) did a great job getting off the guy. That gave me a big lift."

The Jurevicius and McQueary tandem would connect more than once on the day.With the third quarter winding down and Indiana up by seven, McQueary hit Jurevicius for a 41-yard gain, setting up a game-tying Lion touchdown.

At the start of the fourth quarter, McQueary hit his favorite target again, this time for 27 yards. The reception put the Lions in position for a Chafie Fields touchdown run, which moved Penn State ahead, 27-20.

"We've been together for a long time now," McQueary said of his relationship with Jurevicius. "There is definitely a chemistry. I like going to Joe. I'd be lying if I said he wasn't my main man."

With McQueary's solid 9-of-19, 184-yard performance, the question remained if he is now Penn State's starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.

"I certainly haven't decided that we're going to do anything at all, permanently," Paterno said. "Wally's too good for us to all of a sudden drop him."

McQueary was convinced he would remain the backup.

"Wally's still the guy," McQueary said. "I don't want anyone to lose confidence in Wally. He's still a good leader and an excellent quarterback. And he's going to be back."

With a game against Northwestern on Saturday, there's just one week to determine who will lead the Lions.