TUSCALOOSA --

Nick Saban

did not name a starting quarterback Monday for the Penn State game.

Will the second-ranked Crimson Tide go with sophomore

AJ McCarron

or redshirt freshman

Phillip Sims

? Will the two rotate as they did in a 48-7 win Saturday against Kent State? Or has the competition already been settled?

Alabama's fifth-year coach brought up the subject before any reporters could even ask. Saban will speak publicly three more times before Saturday's game at Beaver Stadium, so an answer could come later in the week.

As for now? Both took equal snaps during the media viewing at Alabama's indoor practice on Monday afternoon.

"We're gonna continue to develop both of the quarterbacks that we have," Saban said. "... Later in the week, as we see how the two guys practice, we'll make a determination as to which guy will give us the best opportunity in this particular game or if there's some kind of combination of the two that would be helpful and useful to us. We'll look at the option of doing that."

McCarron and Sims shared the position Saturday in a cruise-control victory against the Golden Flashes. McCarron took the first three offensive possessions. Sims took the next three. Then they began to repeat the cycle.

McCarron completed 14 of 23 passes for 226 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Sims was 7-for-14 passing for 73 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He also fumbled once and was sacked twice.

Saban was asked if he would prefer to pick one quarterback and stick with him through the Penn State game.

"That's a hypothetical question," Saban said. "We know who we're playing this week. We know what it's like to play there. We've played there before. And we know what our quarterback situation is and I already addressed that."

Saban stressed fundamentals, and used some form of that word 10 times when speaking with reporters about various parts of his team.

"I think both guys are capable of playing better than they did -- not that we're disappointed in either one of them," Saban said. "We still feel like we have two really good players at that position. Both of those guys will continue to develop and help us somewhere down the road."

One potential upgrade on offense could be the addition of wide receiver

Duron Carter

, who joined the Tide last week. The junior college transfer from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College also played one season at Ohio State.

As a freshman, he played for the Buckeyes against Penn State, but did not register any statistics in the 24-7 Ohio State victory in 2009.

Carter did not dress for Alabama's opening-day victory, but he practiced for the seventh time Monday.

Saban was asked what kind of shape Carter is in, and how he might be used against the Nittany Lions.

"He's good. He ... really practiced hard, gave good effort," Saban said. "I was pleased with the physical condition he was in, and he's been able to implement himself with some practice time in pads now. We're gonna see how he picks things up and see what kind of a contribution that he can make."

Nine Alabama players made catches Saturday including

Marquis Maze

, who had a career-high eight catches for 181 yards including a touchdown.

The Tide will again play without senior

Darius Hanks

, who is trading the NCAA two games on the sideline this season for the one in which he played in 2007.

That makes Maze even more important.

"We knew that we were going to put him in some positions in the game where he was going to have some opportunities, and he certainly played well," Saban said. "... We need more players on offense to be able to make big plays, especially at skill positions, and we need to execute better overall as an offensive team. So more guys will have an opportunity to do that."