Tag: Matt McGloin

By the numbers: Top 10 single-game passing outputs in Penn State Nittany Lions history

Trace McSorley left his mark on Penn State’s single-game passing record sheet, but what other quarterbacks have had big games through the air in Nittany Lions history?

College football has seen the offensive schemes transform in favor of the passing game over the past couple of decades, and Penn State has been catching up to that trend. It should come as no surprise that the list if Penn State’s all-time single-game passing records has been significantly reshaped over the past 10 years, and Sean Clifford aims to keep rewriting the record book this upcoming season.

Prior to 2010, Penn State’s list of 300-yard passing games was up to 14 total games. Penn State will enter the 2021 season with 42 300-yard passing games in program history, and odds are fairly good the Nittany Lions could come close to 50 by the end of the season.

Clifford enters his third season as Penn State’s starting quarterback and he already owns three 300-yard games in program history, including one in the top 10 in program history.

Penn State still has just one 400-yard passing game in program history. That belongs to Christian Hackenberg, who passed for a school-record 454 yards in a season-opening victory against UCF in Ireland in 2014. The North American single-game passing record for Penn State still belongs to Zack Mills, who came one yard shy of the first 400-yard mark in school history back in 2002 against Iowa.

As for the school’s all-time passing leader, Trace McSorley? He’s had his share of 300-yard games during his time in Happy Valley. McSorley passed for 300 yards 10 times.

Here is a look at Penn State’s top 10 single-game passing yardage leaders in program history.

Penn State’s all-time leading passers in Nittany Lions history

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford has a chance to be a top-three all-time passer at Penn State in 2021.

Penn State is hardly the first school you may think of when it comes to passing offenses, but the Nittany Lions have had some tremendous players at the wide receiver and quarterback positions over the years. And in more recent years, college football’s evolution to more of a passing game has started to rewrite the Penn State record book when it comes to all-time career passing leaders.

Entering the 2021 season, Sean Clifford is primed to easily make his way into the top 10 on Penn State’s all-time passing list, and he could move into the top three on Penn State’s all-time list, just behind the two quarterbacks who started before him.

Trace McSorley remains the school’s all-time leading passer, having the benefit of three years as a starter in an offensive system that was at the height of its game at the time.

Here is a look at Penn State’s top 20 all-time leading passers, including Clifford’s pursuit of moving up the board this fall.

All data is credited to College Football Reference. This list will be updated accordingly.

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Alabama Football: Bill O’Brien’s quarterbacks by the numbers

Roll Tide Wire takes a dive into every starting quarterback’s numbers under new Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

Steve Sarkisian is off to Austin as the new head coach of the Texas Longhorns, and that move left Alabama looking for a new offensive coordinator who can call plays.

After some back-and-forth, the Crimson Tide landed on former Houston Texans and Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien.

The move was considered an odd one by some, but O’Brien is still highly respected as an offensive mind. His time as a head coach has seen plenty of ups and downs, but he should have plenty to work with in Tuscaloosa.

Let’s look a little bit at his past, though.

His most noteworthy success came in his five seasons under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots. His first two seasons were as an analyst and wide receivers coach, but his final three years included being Tom Brady’s quarterbacks coach and eventual, his offensive coordinator.

The connection between Belichick and Alabama head coach Nick Saban is obvious, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to know that relationship factored into the decision to bring O’Brien in — similarly to when Brian Daboll was hired back in 2017.

There is also some recruiting incentives with O’Brien.

It’s always nice to have a former NFL head coach roaming your sidelines when it comes to attracting high-profile high school recruits. As of right now, Alabama has added two this offseason with O’Brien and new offensive line coach Doug Marrone.

But what about O’Brien success with quarterbacks since leaving New England and Brady? Well, Roll Tide Wire dove into the numbers for the top quarterback on each of O’Brien’s teams since he became a head coach in 2012.

The results were … interesting. Take a look for yourself.

Has any good receiver been more cursed with bad quarterbacks than Allen Robinson?

Chicago Bears receiver Allen Robinson has become a great NFL player despite quarterback luck that borders on the tragic.

Some receivers are able to make the most of great quarterback situations. Jerry Rice is the obvious greatest receiver of all time, but you think it helped his case that he was able to transition from Joe Montana to Steve Young at his peak? Outside of having to learn to catch a ball that’s thrown left-handed with Young (which is actually a legitimate thing that takes getting used to), that’s not a bad switch in starters over a period of time from 1985 through 1998.

Inversely, there are receivers who are never seen at their ultimate potential because the quarterbacks they’re given are just not good enough to maximize their attributes. That’s a nice way of saying that if your quarterbacks are foofoo-caca, it doesn’t matter how good you are as a receiver — you’re going to struggle.

Allen Robinson, who currently plays for the Chicago Bears and used to play for Penn State and the Jacksonville Jaguars, can relate. During Robinson’s three years with the Nittany Lions from 2011 through 2013, his primary quarterbacks were Matt McGloin, who completed 58.1% of his passes and threw 11 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in four seasons with the Raiders… and Christian Hackenberg, who was so inept, he never played a snap of regular-season NFL football despite the fact that the Jets selected him with the 51st overall pick in the 2016 draft. Hackenburg was last seen washing out of the AAF after a profanity-laced outburst, and trying to become a major-league pitcher.

Despite all that, Robinson managed to catch 177 passes for 2,479 yards and 17 touchdowns in his collegiate career, which led the Jaguars to select him with the 61st overall pick in the 2014 draft. To accelerate his NFL transition, the Jaguars gave him two primary quarterbacks from 2017 through 2017 — Blake Bortles and Chad Henne. Yeah, the hits just keep on coming. Bortles actually managed to make the Pro Bowl in 2015 with 35 touchdown passes (Robinson led the league with 14 touchdown catches that season), but that didn’t last on Bortles’ part. Henne completed 57.6% of his passes over five seasons with the Jags, with 27 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.

Finally a free agent in 2018, Allen decided to sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the Chicago Bears, picking that team over the Packers.

“With all things being equal, Chicago was a place I had my eyes on from a football standpoint,” Robinson told First Coast News back then.

“It’s a spot with a lot of benefits as far as it being close to home. The close-to-home thing was a very minimal factor but it was still a factor.

“For me, going into the whole free agency process, Chicago was definitely a team I had my eye on, from the standpoint that they had just hired Coach [Matt] Nagy. Coach Nagy was a big part of it… I’m a big fan of his system and his offense.”

Sadly, Nagy’s system and his offense also came with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky — as opposed to some guy named Aaron Rodgers. Robinson caught 55 passes for 754 yards and four touchdowns in 2018 as Trubisky actually made the Pro Bowl, but as was the case with Bortles, it didn’t stick. Trubisky regressed and struggled in 2019 and into 2020, until he was benched in favor of Nick Foles in Week 3. That looked like it would go well when Foles threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes against the Falcons in a 30-26 win over the Falcons, and Robinson caught one of those touchdowns, but the two subsequent games with Foles as starter did not go as well. Foles’ accuracy in the Bears’ 20-19 Thursday night win over the Buccaneers was especially… difficult.

Robinson is a free agent when the 2021 league year begins, unless he signs a new deal with the Bears, or he’s given the franchise tag. Somehow, through all these quarterback debacles, he’s caught 390 passes for 5,170 yards and 35 touchdowns in his NFL career. Imagine what he could do if the other guy at the beginning of all those catches actually knew what he was doing.

#FreeAllenRobinson. Nobody in the NFL deserves it more.

Watch: Guardians’ Dravon Askew-Henry throws penalty flag at official

The New York Guardians’ Dravon Askew-Henry was flagged twice on one play, once for throwing the marker at the official.

The New York Guardians have had trouble keeping their composure this XFL season. First, quarterback Matt McGloin threw a vintage fit on the sidelines in Week 2. In Week 3, center Ian Silberman got into it with an opponent, was flagged and benched. And Saturday, against the LA Wildcats, DB Dravon Askew-Henry was flagged twice after throwing the flag at an official.

Askew-Henry was called for holding on the pass pattern. The official threw the penalty flag and it wound up being caught by Askew-Henry, who was none to happy about the call. The West Virginia product took the flag and winged it back at the official who threw it his way first. The official didn’t have a flag to throw so he gestured to a fellow official to throw his, which the other official did.

The result was a five-yard holding penalty and a 15-yard unsportsmanklike conduct call.

That was an XFL first as was having a game between teams that each have female presidents.

7 things we learned in Week 2 of the XFL

The future is bright for Greg Olsen, Pep Hamilton, P.J. Walker and Cardale Jones.

The XFL is through two weeks, there has been some good, bad, and, of course, ugly.

McGloin may not be built for this league

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Matt McGloin taking on anyone and everyone around the New York Guardians may have made for great television. However, it did show the quarterback has brought an NFL attitude to the XFL. And that doesn’t work. Hard to believe Kevin Gilbride will want to keep him around. For sure, Winston Moss of the LA Wildcats would have shipped him out. In general, with a few exceptions, quarterback is the weakest position in the league.

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How to Watch St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Houston Roughnecks, XFL Football Live Stream, Schedule, TV Channel, Start Time

Watch St Louis Battlehawks vs Houston Roughnecks Live Online.

The undefeated St. Louis Battlehawks (1-0) head to Houston to take on the Roughnecks who also won their first game of the season. Can the Roughnecks increase their lead in the XFL’s West division with a win at home or will the Battlehawks get their second straight victory? We’ll find out Sunday afternoon at TDECU Stadium in Houston.Ā 

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St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Houston Roughnecks

  • When: Sunday, February 16
  • Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
  • TV: FS1
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

St. Louis was one of three teams in the XFL East division to come away with a victory in the league’s opener. The Battlehawks edged the Renegades 15-9 in Dallas. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 20 of 27 passes for 209 yards and one touchdown. Ta’Amu, who played collegiately at Ole Miss, also rushed for 77 yards on nine carries. Former Florida running back Matt Jones led the team with 21 carries and 85 yards, while Keith Ford scored the lone rushing touchdown. The Battlehawks defense was also stout, holding the Renegades to just 58 yards rushing. Linebacker Terence Garvin was all over the field with eight total tackles (two of those for a loss) and one sack.

In the XFL West division, Houston sits in first place after a 37-17 trouncing of the visiting Los Angeles Wildcats.Ā  After being down 17-12 late in the third quarter, the Roughnecks took the lead on a 39-yard touchdown pass from quarterback P.J. Walker to wide receiver Sam Mobley. That series was part of a 25-0 run for head coach June Jones. It’s no secret that Jones’ offenses like to air the ball out. Walker finished the day 23 of 38 for 272 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. If St. Louis wants to stay in the game, it starts with limiting Walker and the passing game.

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Ex-Giant Kevin Gilbride sees Guardians descend into Week 2 chaos

Former New York Giants OC Kevin Gilbride saw his Guardians descend into Week 2 XFL chaos on live television.

Week 1 of the 2020 XFL season saw the successful return of former New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, who made his way back to the sidelines for the first time since 2013 and did so with an upset victory.

After the game, New York Guardians quarterback Matt McGloin presented Gilbride with the game ball and the coach received a rousing ovation from his players.

But this is New York and things can — and often do — change on a dime.

Week 2 of the XFL season was far less fruitful for Gilbride, who saw his Guardians become the first team to be shutout this year, but that was really just the tip of the iceberg.

Things went from bad to ugly in no time flat on Saturday, as McGloin, who was playing like someone who had never thrown a football before, ripped into Gilbride and the offensive coaching staff on live TV during a sideline interview just prior to halftime.

“We need to change the whole entire game plan at halftime,” McGloin told ESPN’s Dianna Russini. “Thereā€™s a lot going on right now. Itā€™s embarrassing for us for an offense. Thereā€™s a lot of things for us to fix and correct.”

McGloin would return in the second half with a pick-six before finding himself benched in favor of Marquise Williams. After the game, he took his criticism of Gilbride & Co. to the next level.

“We need to clean that up. Communication is especially is one, and it showed today,” McGloin said.

“At no point in time did I think we were comfortable out there. At no point in time did I think we were in a position to try to be successful. I think it was pretty easy to see.”

Asked about the incident during his post-game press conference, Gilbride refused to add any fuel to the fire, dismissing McGloin’s critical comments and claiming they merely went to Williams for a spark.

“We started off slow on both sides of the ball,” Gilbride said, via XFL.com. “I thought our defense picked it up and played well. Offensively, it seemed like every time we started to get something going, we shot ourselves in the foot.

“[The quarterback change] was more just to get a spark — try to generate something. We weren’t doing anything with any consistency on offense, so I said let’s make a change and see what happens.”

Gilbride also admitted that situations like the one we saw on Saturday could “splinter” a team, but he believes his unit will rally instead, becoming a more close knit unit moving forward.

The Guardians will travel to St. Louis on Sunday of Week 3 where they’ll take on the BattleHawks at 3:00 p.m. ET (ESPN).

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Matt McGloin slams his own coaches in awkward interviews during awful loss

XFL QB Matt McGloin had a *very* bad day in DC.

The New York Guardians pulled off an upset win in Week 1, but facing what might be the best team in the XFL on the road in Week 2, Matt McGloin and the Guardians offense endured a nightmarish day at Audi Field in DC. The Defenders improved to 2-0 with a 27-0 shutout of the Guardians, and McGloin struggled mightily, with just 44 passing yards and 2 interceptions, good for a rating of 10.1.

McGloin had to do a live sideline interview after throwing his first pick of the day, and things got even more awkward during his halftime interview with ESPN’s Dianna Russini.

“We need to change the whole entire gameplan at halftime…. There’s just a lot going on right now, it’s embarrassing for us here as an offense.”

When informed of McGloin’s comments, Guardians coach Kevin Gilbride told Russini “I need to go talk to him and figure out what the problem is, because he needs to play better.”

McGloin’s performance never improved, though, and he was eventually pulled for backup Marquise Williams after throwing a second interception. In a wild scene you’ll only see in the XFL, McGloin did a third live interview after being benched, and the QB didn’t hold back.

“Listen, there’s a lot of stuff going on behind closed doors, I think we need to clean that up. Communication, especially, is one. And it showed today. At no point in time did I think we were comfortable out there. At no point in time did I think we were in a position to try to be successful.”

The XFL’s signature sideline interviews add a whole different dimension to the presentation of games – but they also give players an opportunity to potentially alienate coaches or teammates. The Guardians’ trip home to New York on Saturday is going to be a long one.

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WATCH! XFL’s Matt McGloin blasts New York Guardians’ offensive game plan

Matt McGloin of the XFL New York Guardians blasted his team’s offensive game plan as the team went to halftime.

Matt McGloin had a miserable first half Satuday as the New York Guardians faced the DC Defenders in an XFL game. The former Penn State QB led an offense that produced one first down — the other came on a fake punt — and was 5-of-13 for 32 yards with an interception as New York fell behind, 12-0.

McGloin was interviewed by ABC’s Dianna Russini as he left for halftime and went off:

Russini spoke to coach Kevin Gilbride after the break and the Guardians’ boss said he wanted his quarterback to “play better” and he would have a conversation with the 30-year-old McGloin, who once started for the Oakland Raiders.

It would be hard for McGloin and the Guardians’ offense to play worse.

Well, they actually found a way. McGloin threw a Pick-Six to ILB Jameer Thurman on New York’s first drive of the second half.

“Poor decision by me,” McGloin said. “I’ve gotta take the sack there.”