TAMPA, Fla. — Matt McGloin stood upon a threshold of redemption.
The noise was deafening. The stage was set. The TV audience tuned in to the ABC-broadcasted game, the best viewing option as other Big Ten teams incurred routs on New Year’s Day.
Florida defenders — intercepting three of his previous passes — awaited the Penn State quarterback’s throws all day, and they could have nabbed more. On third down at Florida’s 25-yard line with time running out in the fourth quarter, Ahmad Black intercepted McGloin’s pass at the 20 and ran it to the end zone to the delight of screaming Gators fans in the stands overlooking the end line.
There would be no redemption. Black’s return was a thud, ending a Penn State season defined by unripe, young potential that showed glimpses of possibility but inevitably fell short. Growing pains defined the game, the season and the disappointment McGloin showed in his post-game interview after the play.
“You hope we’d be a little better,” Joe Paterno said. “But that’s about the way we’ve played most of the year.”
McGloin’s interception was indicative of the 2010 slate. The Nittany Lions looked to redeem the season several times, including at Ohio State.
They had surmounted an unforeseen 21-point deficit to capture Paterno’s 400th win against Northwestern, their third straight win at the time, as they tried to wipe clean any memory of the Illinois loss.
Penn State carried the momentum into Columbus, where the Lions built a 14-3 lead only to see a season turnaround disintegrate in the midst of Ohio State’s 35 unanswered points in the second half.
Any thought of elevating the year to a higher status fell short just two weeks later, as Michigan State ended the Lions season, which featured no signature win.
“We battled through some adversity this year, let’s be honest,” defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said. “A lot of injuries, a lot of change in position, guys in and out, guys missing games, and they hung tough. We got better.”
The recurring theme showcased itself in the final drive of the 2011 Outback Bowl. Penn State had the ball rolling, as it churned up 54 yards in just over two minutes in an attempt to take the lead back with time ticking near a minute left.
Then, whether through immaturity or panic, fate or chance — the momentum halted. The Lions came close but ended short.
“We had so many ups and downs,” Royster said. “It seemed like we came in and played a good first half, and then we just came out and kind of screwed it up in the second. It’s happened a lot this season, and it’s something that happens in the game of football, but it’s just about limiting the mistakes and stuff, and we weren’t able to do it [Saturday].”
Safety Malcolm Willis said his sights now gaze on 2011, and other teammates think the same.
A final game-winning drive may have erased all debates about the team’s youth and provided a fresh breeze, stifling the heat fuming from Lions fans after a mediocre year. Yet, the threshold to prominence has yet to be crossed for the young Lions, and no redemption song will be voiced, at least not this season.
“We’re obviously way ahead of where we were at this stage a year ago,” Paterno said. “We played a lot of young kids today. Some of them get themselves into some situations that they shouldn’t of, but that’s all part of the experience of playing.”