Want a clue about Bill O’Brien running Ohio State’s offense? His Penn State QBs gave raves

Matt McGloin was a fifth-year senior. Christian Hackenberg was a true freshman.

They were the Penn State quarterbacks in Bill O’Brien’s two years as head coach of the Nittany Lions a decade ago.

On Friday, Ohio State hired O’Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to lend an experienced hand to an offense that underperformed last year.

McGloin’s and Hackenberg’s experiences provide a strong clue as to what to expect from O’Brien with the Buckeyes. O’Brien called the plays for Penn State and worked closely with the quarterbacks, as Ryan Day did in his first five years as OSU coach.

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Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien, right, talks with quarterback Christian Hackenberg during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Minneapolis Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

O’Brien took over at Penn State at the lowest point in the program’s history. The Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal broke in late 2011. Legendary coach Joe Paterno was fired.

Months after O’Brien’s hiring, the NCAA leveled sanctions against Penn State that many expected to decimate the program for years. In the pre-transfer portal era, the NCAA allowed PSU players were free to leave and be instantly eligible elsewhere, and many did depart.

But O’Brien held enough of the core of the team together.

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“I remember him saying, ‘We’re nobody’s charity case,’ ” McGloin said. “One of those things he mentioned was, ‘You can leave if you want, but if you stay you’ll be remembered forever.’ We just slowly came together as a team, and he led every step of the way.”

Penn State went 8-4 and O’Brien was named the Big Ten’s…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/want-clue-bill-obrien-running-124945882.html

Author : The Columbus Dispatch

Publish date : 2024-01-22 12:49:45

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