Paterno leaves QB question up in air


Thursday, April 2, 1998	Paterno leaves QB question up in air By CHRIS MASSE Collegian Sports Writer If Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is leaning toward selecting a starting quarterback in the near future, he is keeping the thought to himself. Yesterday at his spring football news conference, Paterno said the quarterback position is wide open. With four quarterbacks battling for the slot, spring practices, which culminate with the Blue-White game April 25, will go a long way in determining who lines up under center when the Nittany Lions open their season Sept. 5 against Southern Mississippi.
`Penn State Football Home Page`	"It's difficult to predict," Paterno said. "I think you have to put them in different situations and see how they react." Junior Kevin Thompson and sophomore Rashard Casey appear to be the front-runners right now. Thompson backed up last year's starter, Mike McQueary, and saw action in nine games, completing 9 of 27 passes for 103 yards. Casey possesses a lot of athletic potential but has little playing experience, having thrown only six passes last year.
Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno fields media questions yesterday at his annual spring practice news conference. The Nittany Lions kicked off their spring practices this past Saturday in preparation for the Blue-White game April 25th at Beaver Stadium. (Collegian Photo/Thomas D. Hood - click for full size image)	Sophomores Chad Kroell and Matt LaVerde round out the list of candidates. Although their chances of winning the position may be slim, Paterno would not rule them out of the mix. "(All four quarterbacks) have good mechanics. They all throw the ball well and move around adequately," Paterno said. "It's just a question of who can handle the football, react quickly, read the blitzes, recognize things and get us out of bad plays." High expectations After tearing his anterior cruciate ligament against Minnesota and missing the last six games of the season junior fullback Aaron Harris is close to completing his comeback. Paterno said Harris will not practice in the spring, but is progressing well and should be able to make a significant contribution in the fall. Paterno emphasized Harris' leadership as being vital to the Lions' prospects because of his presence and big-play potential. Before he went down with the ACL injury Harris had rushed for 261 yards and scored two touchdowns. Against Ohio State he sparked the Lions' comeback from a 10-point, third-quarter deficit, breaking three Buckeye tackles and running for a 51-yard touchdown. "(Harris) has got to be one of our leaders," Paterno said. "He's a kid who's made some big plays in big games and there's not a lot of those people coming back." Trading places
`Paterno Press Conference Transcript (courtesy Penn State Sports Informantion Home Page)`	As he has done in the past, Paterno has made some personnel changes, flip-flopping some of his defensive and offensive players. One move has sophomore Jordan Caruso going from tackle to the defensive line. The biggest changes, though, revolve around the tight end position. Sophomore Jason Wallace and senior Brad Scioli, tight ends last year, have been moved to defensive line. Senior Mike Buzin is taking the opposite route, going from defensive tackle to tight end. Paterno said other moves may come, but added he has to see more practices before making any decisions "We may change some kids as we go along. It's a little difficult to tell if that's the end of it," he said. "We may have a better idea maybe by the weekend whether we settle on some people or whether we make some other moves."