Bolden steps back to pass versus Alabama on September 11. |
|
| Penn State Nittany Lions — No. 1 | |
| Quarterback | Sophomore |
| Major: | |
| Date of birth: February 20, 1992 | |
| Place of birth: Detroit, Michigan | |
| Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | Weight: 208 lb (94 kg; 14 st 12 lb) |
| Career history | |
|---|---|
| High school: St. Mary's Preparatory School, Orchard Lake, Michigan |
|
College(s):
|
|
| Bowl games | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at CBSSports.com | |
Robert "Rob" Bolden is an American football quarterback for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He attended St. Mary's Preparatory School in Orchard Lake, Michigan.
Contents |
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Bolden QB |
Orchard Lake, Michigan | St. Mary's Preparatory | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.5 | Jul 10, 2009 |
| Scout: Rivals: | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 8 (QB) Rivals: 2 (QB), 3 (MI) | ||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:
|
||||||
Bolden committed to Penn State University on July 10, 2009.[1] He also had football scholarship offers from the University of Oregon, Virginia Tech, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Nebraska, among others.[2]
After arriving on campus in June, Bolden beat out two sophomores, Kevin Newsome and Matt McGloin, and another highly recruited freshman, Paul Jones, to win the starting quarterback job for the first game of the 2010 season against Youngstown State. Bolden becomes the first true freshman quarterback under head coach Joe Paterno to start the opening game of the season, and the first since Wally Richardson in 1992 to start any game of their freshman season.[3] Bolden was also the first true freshman quarterback at Penn State to start the season since Shorty Miller in 1910.[4] On his decision to name Bolden as the starting quarterback, Paterno said, "He has got an arm, he's got a little poise, he did some things a little better than the other guys on more occasions. There are days I came off the field not knowing who I wanted to play."[5]
Bolden played his first collegiate football game on September 4, 2010 for the Nittany Lions in the season opener against Youngstown State. Despite a shaky beginning, Bolden exhibited an overall solid performance in front of a home crowd of 101,213, in Penn State's 44-14 rout of Youngstown State, finishing 20-29 for 239 yards passing for two touchdowns and one interception.[6]
Against Alabama, he turned in a strong performance between the 20s, going 13-29 for 144 yards, but two red zone interceptions cost the Lions chances to stay in a closer than the score 24-3 loss to Alabama. Bolden had an up-and-down day in a 24-0 shutout of Kent State, after a monster first quarter, the offense struggled, but the defense played with enough enthusiasm that the offense had already done enough to win in the first quarter, but Bolden finished 12-27 for 217 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Against Temple, he went 18 for 28 for 223 yards and no TDs. Against Iowa, Bolden went 20-37 for 212 yards and an interception. Penn State lost the game 24-3 after Bolden threw an interception that went for an opposing touchdown at the end of the game.
Bolden had a tough day on homecoming going 8 for 21 for 142 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He threw an 80-yard play-action touchdown pass following his second pick six of the year. Against Minnesota, he rebounded, going 11 for 13 for 130 yards and one touchdown before suffering an injury on an option play. He was pulled from the game with a concussion and was relieved by McGloin, who went 6 for 13 for 76 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. McGloin was named the starting quarterback following three straight wins in Bolden's absence, including the comeback win against Minnesota.[7][8]
On January 2, 2011, Rob Bolden Sr. announced his son's plans to transfer out of Penn State. On January 3, Bolden and his father met with head coach Paterno and quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno in State College, Pennsylvania, to discuss the transfer. Paterno informed Bolden that he would not grant a release from his scholarship. Bolden decided to then stay at Penn State and not transfer.[9]
On January 2, 2012, Bolden started in the place of suspended Matt McGloin in the TicketCity Bowl against Houston. Bolden and the Nittany Lions struggled and lost 30-14. Bolden completed a poor 7 of 26 passes for 137 yards, one touchdown pass, and three interceptions. He also rushed six times for 16 yards.
|
|||||
|
||||||||