At Penn State, Bradley catches up with McGloin

MATT MCGLOIN has been at Penn State since the summer of 2008. Tom Bradley has been on the Nittany Lions' coaching staff for 33 years, plus 4 years he spent as a defensive back and special-teams stalwart for Joe Paterno in the mid- to late 1970s.

You wouldn't think that two individuals who have been around each other as long as these guys would suddenly need to become better acquainted, almost to the point where formal introductions were necessary.

But until he was named as Paterno's interim successor in the late-night purge of Nov. 9, Bradley had exclusively worked with the defense since 1988, the year after he spent his one and only season with the offense as wide receivers coach. "Scrap" knew everything there was to know about his guys on defense because, well, that was part of his job description. The players on offense? They were people he knew, but didn't really know, with the possible exception of guys he personally recruited. McGloin, the former walk-on from Central Cambria High in Scranton, was not one of those.

So when Bradley took over on short notice for Paterno, his longtime boss, he had a lot of decisions to make, and not much time to make them.

One of his first executive commands was to junk the two-quarterback rotation and name McGloin the full-time starting quarterback.

Another was to set enough time aside in his suddenly more hectic work schedule to chat up the players on offense with whom he admits to being far less familiar than those on defense. And chief among his new fast friends was the newly installed No. 1 QB.

It's still early, but McGloin and Bradley both agree a comfort zone has been established that might not have been there a couple of weeks ago. It's a level of familiarity between head coach and quarterback that is necessary if the 20th-ranked Lions are to upset No. 15 Wisconsin tomorrow afternoon in Camp Randall Stadium, advance to the first Big Ten championship game on Dec. 3 in Indianapolis and, who knows, maybe even to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2 in Pasadena, Calif.

"I'm obviously not with him all the time," Bradley said of his efforts to get into McGloin's head to find out what makes him tick, and vice versa. "I do spend some time with him. I will continue to spend some time with him, to get to know him better, as I will with all the players on offense. It's the one thing I really have to catch up on."

Toward that end, Bradley had the sort of in-depth conversation with McGloin on Tuesday that he would have had much earlier had McGloin been, say, a cornerback.

"We had a one-on-one meeting on Tuesday, just going over what we want to do for the week," McGloin said.

So, was it strictly an X's and O's thing? More personal stuff?

"What we said in that room is between coach Bradley and myself," McGloin said. "But it was a great man-to-man talk. We really opened up to each other.

"A lot of people don't really see that side of coach Bradley. They only see what you see on the field. But when you have a one-on-one conversation with him, you find out what he's really like. I have a ton of respect for the man. He's in a tough position, but he's doing a great job."

What Bradley is attempting to do is similar to longtime Eagles offensive line coach Juan Castillo being named the team's defensive coordinator. It's a radical shift, and one that few would attempt unless absolutely necessary. Bradley is probably better equipped than some to even try it with little advance notice, but you know what they say: Necessity is the mother of invention. Paterno's firing necessarily made for one of the most rapid transitions in the history of college football.

"To be honest with you, I can't even imagine being in his shoes right now," McGloin said of Bradley. "He's busting his butt as a head coach and really spending a lot of time with the offense, getting to know the players, getting to know the system."

So, did McGloin ever have the same sort of heart-to-heart with Paterno?

"I had a great relationship with coach Joe," he said. "We never really had a one-on-one conversation in his office, but we'd be on the field, talking about, you know, stuff."

JoePa, however, never could quite decide between McGloin and Rob Bolden at No. 1 quarterback.

"It was kind of a shock," McGloin said of Bradley immediately naming him starting quarterback. "But at the same time, coach Bradley knows what he wants. When he made his decision, I was honored."

THREE HINGS TO LOOK FOR

* Expect Wisconsin's best cover cornerback, Antonio Fenelus, to be head-up on Penn State's top wide receiver, Derek Moye, who is clearly Matt McGloin's favorite target. Illinois wideout A.J. Jenkins, who leads the Big Ten in receptions, was limited to one catch when Fenelus was on him last week.

* Don't be surprised if senior tailback Stephfon Green, who has scored all four of Penn State's touchdowns in the last two games, again gets more carries than starter Silas Redd, and not just because Redd still has a sore collarbone. "He's not in my doghouse," interim coach Tom Bradley says of Green, who spent a lot of time this season in Joe Paterno's spacious kennel.

* Anthony Fera has been a revelation with 14 field goals in 17 tries since replacing the tandem of Evan Lewis and Sam Ficken, but the Lions need touchdowns against Wisconsin, not three-pointers.

AGENDA

Who: No. 20 Penn State at No. 15 Wisconsin

When: Tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.

Where: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wis.

Records: Penn State 9-2 overall, 6-1 Big Ten; Wisconsin 9-2, 5-2

TV: ESPN

Radio: WNTP (990-AM); WPNV (1440-AM)

Series: The Badgers lead, 8-6, but the series is 6-6 in Big Ten play. When the teams last met, on Oct. 11, 2008, the Nittany Lions rolled to a 48-7 victory in Madison.

Coaches: Tom Bradley (1-1 in first year as interim coach); Bret Bielema (58-18, sixth year)

About Penn State: Michigan State was Penn State's final regular-season opponent from 1993 to 2010, when they played for the Land Grant Trophy. Now that Michigan State is in the Legends Division, Wisconsin will be the regular-season finale for Penn State at least through 2014 . . . Linebacker Gerald Hodges (a team-leading 90 tackles) has a chance to join the school's 100-tackle club with a big game against the Badgers . . . After he outplayed All-Big Ten center Michael Brewster of Ohio State last week, defensive tackle Devon Still is drawing special attention from Wisconsin offensive coaches, maybe more so than usual since he's going against a sophomore center (Travis Frederick), who is normally a guard and is filling in for the injured Peter Konz. "He's as good as there is," UW offensive coordinator Paul Chryst says of Still . . . The Nits' much-maligned offensive line - surprise, surprise - has allowed only 12 sacks in 11 games, fewest among Big Ten teams.

About Wisconsin: Bielema is one smart recruiter. When second-team All-ACC quarterback Russell Wilson was looking to transfer from NC State, Bielema didn't have a bevy of beautiful co-eds show him around him Madison. Bielema introduced Wilson to eight huge UW offensive linemen. The Badgers' offensive line averages 322 pounds a man, third among 120 FBS schools. That average also would be the third-heaviest among NFL teams . . . Even though he'll play only this season for the Badgers, Wilson might be turning in the finest year by any quarterback in school history. He has passed for 26 touchdowns with only three interceptions, and also has run for five TDs . . . Senior wide receiver Nick Toon, who leads the team with 47 catches, is the son of former Badgers wide receiver Al Toon, who played eight seasons with the New York Jets and was inducted into the UW Hall of Fame in 1995.

PREDICTION

Wisconsin 27, Penn State 17.