The play was barely over and Matt McGinley took a couple steps onto the playing surface at David Person Field, buckling up the chin strap on each side of his white Lycoming football helmet. He hesitated momentarily, seeing if Warriors starting quarterback Tyler Jenny could rise to his feet.
As the trainers ran on the field, McGinley turned toward the sideline, looking for a football and a throwing partner to loosen up his left arm. It's the life of a backup quarterback, always on the edge of his toes, waiting for the moment he's called upon to jump into a football game and be the guy everyone looks to for guidance.
On this day, an abnormally warm early October Saturday afternoon, McGinley was being called upon at one of the most crucial points of Lycoming's eventual 19-16 win over Delaware Valley. Jenny had his bell rung after scrambling on second down, and McGinley ran into a third-and-7 situation at the Aggies' 28-yard line. Head coach Mike Clark could have definitely kept a play call conservative considering the Warriors were on the cusp of kicker Zack Czap's field goal range, but Clark didn't feel like he had to simplify things for McGinley.
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