The New Year's Day is beckoning for the Nittany Lions as they prepare to face up to the challenge posed by the Californian team at the Rose Bowl. Already, the very fact that this match would be played in the Rose Bowl has generated quite a bit of interest in both camps. It must be said that the Nittany Lions, who have had not bad a run thus far, have already started counting their resources for the game. After all, any away game is just not going to be easy, and coming up against a team like the one of California and that too in Rose Bowl means you have to pick up your game several notches if not less.



While the team practices for the upcoming hurdle on the first day of 2009, there are not many distractions around. Talk of distractions and one of them is the indecision about the quarterback. Pat Devlin, who was the leading quarterback decided to shift shores last week. This decision, sudden though, has left a big void in the Nittany Lions, something they are trying hard to plug. After all, this is one position which Pat made his, and for a lot of time did not allow any other player to take a look at this position.

With Pat gone, the Lions have a problem in hand. They have to fix this position, and fix it fast. More importantly, fix it with someone worthwhile. The names that are doing rounds for this position are Darryll Clark and Paul Cianciolo. Both are good talents but have one major problem ? They have not played a lot of games between them. Clearly, their inexperience could tell at some stage of the competition. Some murmurs are on that Derrick Williams, a guy who has started quite a few games as a quarterback could get this position.

Coach Paterno has a serious problem considering that Williams is a guy who could be played almost anywhere. His excellent track record in all the games he has played makes him a player to watch out for. When Pat was in the team, Williams used to play a receiver. If Paterno decides to employ Williams as a QB, he may have to look for a class receiver. And the problems for the coach thus continue, with no reasonable solution in sight for the coach in days to come.

Maybe, the coach should take a chance with Darryll Clark for some games as a QB and have Williams in his favorite position, receiver. At least, this will ensure that he does not have to undergo a position change. Too many changes it is said spoils the whole setting, and by Coach Paterno employing this combination, he would try and avoid that.