Penn State starting quarterback Rob Bolden, who is actually from the state of Michigan, suffered an injury against Minnesota last Saturday that is believed to be a concussion. The injury knocked him out of the Minnesota game and put his status for the game against Michigan in doubt, leaving Wolverines fans wondering which quarterback their team will face on Saturday night.
It is now Thursday, and I can honestly say that I have absolutely no idea who will start at quarterback on Saturday for Penn State. It seems Penn State head coach Joe Paterno is just as confused, as Bolden's status has ranged from doubtful to probable over the course of this week without much rhyme or reason.
The most recent news we have about Bolden is that he passed a concussion-related test on Wednesday, indicating that, at the very least, he is progressing from his injury. Bolden's father confirmed this to The Patriot-News, but even he admitted that he's not sure what exactly it means or where things go from here.
Earlier in the week, Paterno said this about Bolden:
"If you ask me, if I had to make a guess, I’d guess he’s not going to make it," Paterno said. "But that does not mean I know what I’m talking about it. I don’t have an M.D. after my name."
If you went strictly off that, Bolden's status for Saturday would have to be considered as doubtful. In an injury report released by Penn State on Monday night, however, Bolden was listed as probable. And on Wednesday, he passed the aforementioned concussion test that seems to indicate his chances of playing are improving. It doesn't seem anybody knows at this point, though. Either Paterno is trying to be sneaky and force Michigan to prepare for more than one guy, or he just doesn't know if Bolden will actually play or not. I tend to think the latter is much more likely than the former, but that's just me.
If Bolden is unable to give it a go on Saturday night, he will likely be replaced by Matt McGloin, a former walk-on who has been described as being similar to Nick Sheridan. In other words, it would be very good news for Michigan if McGloin is in the starting lineup.
Penn State's other quarterback in the mix is Kevin Newsome, a former Michigan commit. Newsome is dealing with a "minor left knee injury" and didn't play a whole lot against Minnesota after Bolden went down. It seems Paterno favors McGloin over Newsome, so I'd expect to see the former walk-on if Bolden doesn't play.