Blue White Illustrated

P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> seemingly minute details are going to take on an outsized importance. And that point stands. If not for a missed opportunity to finish off Michigan State, the Lions would proba- bly have been 10-2 last year going into the postseason and would have had a chance to earn that New Year's Six bowl invitation they coveted. That's not a knock on any particular player; no one makes every play that comes his way. But it is an illustration of just how narrow the gap can be between victory and defeat, and how detail-oriented the Nittany Lions will need to be if they're going to develop into perennial Big Ten East Division title contenders. The good news for Penn State as it gets set to wrap up its sixth spring practice under Franklin is that the program has already made a lot of the strides that it set out to make as the effects of the sanctions began to recede. "We're tied for ninth in the country in terms of FBS winning percentage over the past three years," Franklin said. "We're very proud of that. Obviously, we've got a lot of work to do and there are a lot of areas where we can improve, but that's something we're really proud of. "And if you look at the College Football Playoff rankings, which [are] probably the most important form of rankings that every- body is focused on now with the way college football has changed, there are six teams in the past three years that have finished in the top 15, and that's Penn State, that's Alabama, that's Clemson, that's Ohio State, that's Washington and that's Oklahoma. That's a pretty good group to be associated with over a three-year period of time." It is indeed. But there's a key difference be- tween those other five teams and Penn State. The difference is that Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Washington and Oklahoma have all been to the playoff, while the Nittany Lions have not. So there remains another gap to close. But if they can develop a more opportunistic per- sonality on defense while taking better care of the football on offense, their chances of displacing one of those playoff regulars in some future CFP field will be that much greater. Pulling a playoff spot away from the Buckeyes or Huskies or Sooners – now that would be the biggest takeaway of them all. ■ THE GAME AT A GLANCE WHERE Beaver Stadium WHEN 3 p.m., April 13 (all stadium gates open at 1:30 p.m.) TV/RADIO The Blue-White Game will air live on the Penn State Sports Net- work and at GoPSUSports.com and will be shown via tape delay on the Big Ten Network beginning at 8 p.m. April 13. ADMISSION/PARKING Admission is free for the Blue-White Game. Season ticket and season parking permit holders from the 2018 season received a white 2019 Blue-White Game parking permit with their 2018 season tickets and parking last summer. Fans attending the Blue-White Game who did not have 2018 season tickets and a season parking permit will be charged $20 for car parking. Car parking is available for purchase for $20 by visiting the Bryce Jor- dan Center ticket office from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. In-person purchases can be made until 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 12. Parking on Blue-White game day is cash only. Parking lots will open at 8 a.m. on game day. RV parking is restricted to the overnight RV lot. RV parking is complimentary on game day with a previ- ously issued permit, $60 for Friday arrival with permit. Fans without an RV per- mit will be charged $100 for Friday arrival, and $40 for game day arrival. EQUIPMENT SALE Penn State will hold the Blue-White Apparel and Equip- ment Sale, which will include team-issued apparel, uniforms and equipment, on April 13 in conjunction with Blue-White Weekend. The sale, coordinated by Lion Surplus, will take place from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., or while supplies last, at Pegula Ice Arena and is open to the public. Fans wishing to shop the equipment sale can enter Pegula Ice Arena through Gate A. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted at the sale. This is the second Blue-White Apparel and Equip- ment Sale. The first sale was in 2015. Fans are advised to allow time to return bags of purchased items to their vehicles prior to the Blue-White Game, as the university's bag policy will be in effect for the spring game. OTHER EVENTS The Blue-White Fan Fest will take place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Curtain Road. The team bus will arrive at the intersection of Curtain Road and Porter Road at 11:45 a.m. The annual player autograph session will be from 12:15-1 p.m. On April 14, the annual Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run will begin at 11 a.m. Steve Manuel

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