Blue White Illustrated

B L U E - W H I T E G A M E P R E V I E W HUNGER GAMES Preparing for his final season at Penn State, veteran linebacker Cam Brown is determined to help the Nittany Lions reach college football's summit | hen he arrived at Penn State in the summer of 2016, Cam Brown looked more like a shooting guard than an outside line- backer. He stood 6-foot-6 and weighed a little over 200 pounds, and he knew that he needed to add a little bit of weight if he were going to develop into a defensive force for the Nittany Lions. Maybe more than a little bit. So Brown went to work, not just in the weight room but at the din- ner table, too. He would eat heavy fare like chicken Alfredo whether he was hungry or not. He would snarf down honey cheese curls between meals and would gulp protein shakes before going to bed. He re- cently estimated that his caloric intake during his time at Penn State has been between 3,000 and 4,000 per day, a dietary routine aimed at packing muscle onto his gangly frame. As he prepares for his senior season, it's clear that all that pasta has had the de- sired effect. He's up to 230 pounds, a number that he's been aiming to hit since he was a freshman, if not before. "It's been my goal the past five years of my life, and this year it's finally happen- ing," he said. The weight "is finally com- ing on solid, and it's actual muscle." Brown, who was listed at 226 pounds heading into the 2018 season, has been looking to do big things in his final year with the Nittany Lions. With 14 starts to his credit, including 12 as a junior last year, he's one of Penn State's more expe- rienced defensive players. He was fifth on the team with a career-high 63 tack- les in 2018 and also forced three fumbles to lead the Lions in that category. When Brown says that he and his teammates are "hungry" this season, he's not talking about the training table. "We're coming for a national champi- onship this year," he said. "Guys know that, and guys are playing like it" this spring. That hunger comes from the near- misses that Penn State has endured the past two years. In 2017, the Nittany Lions dropped consecutive games to Ohio State and Michigan State, losing by a combined total of four points. Last year, they lost back-to-back games to the same two opponents in the same order, this time by a combined total of five points. That did not sit well. The Lions moved on, winning five of their last six regular- season games. But as Brown said, "That feeling of loss, letting it slip away... it hurt." The pain has abated as players' atten- tion has shifted to the upcoming season. In its place, Brown said, is a feeling of resolve among the returnees. "We've made our mind up," he said. "We let it slip out of our hands the past two years, [missing] the College Football Playoff by one point, then three [or four] points in the second game, two years in a row. We can't let that happen again, and we're not going to let it happen again." With more vacancies to fill than in recent years, including a big one at quarterback, the Nittany Lions won't be anyone's favorite to make the four-team CFP field in 2019. But hopes always run high in the spring, and Penn State's hopes are boosted by a core of re- turning veterans on defense such as Brown, Taylor, defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, middle linebacker Jan Johnson and cornerback John Reid. In addition, they are welcoming one of the top dozen recruiting classes in the coun- try, a group featuring "some freaks of nature," as Brown described them. He didn't name names, but his position group features a pair of four-star line- backers who are already on campus: Brandon Smith and Lance Dixon. Brown said he wants to be a mentor to the younger players, helping them the way that former Lion linebackers Nyeem Wartman-White, Brandon Bell and Jason Cabinda helped him when he was starting out. "There are young guys looking up to me, and I feel like I'm in a position where I understand the pro- gram and I understand what's going on on the field," he said. James Franklin said he's been im- pressed with Brown's transition into more of a leadership role with the de- fense. "He's taken a real command of the team," the coach said. "He's taken a real command of the defense. He's gotten bigger, he's got- ten stronger, more physical. It's that steady evolution that you see with him – him growing and being more confident. I think he's got a chance to have a really big year for us." ■ JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT Brown finished fifth on the team last year with 63 tackles, and he forced three fum- bles to lead the squad. Photo by Steve Manuel W

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