Blue White Illustrated

CATCHING ON THE TAKEAWAY Throughout spring practice, it appeared that Ferguson and Bench were neck-and-neck. That certainly appeared to be the case in the BlueWhite Game, with each QB completing 9 of 15 passes – Bench for 99 yards, Ferguson for 90. After the game, O'Brien gave no indication that he was favoring either one. That in itself might have been a clue as to how things were going to play out. In the eyes of the coaching staff, Ferguson had managed to catch up to Bench after only three months on campus. So now Ferguson is at the top of the depth chart, and Bench is looking for a school that fits him better than Penn State did. Of course, the drama this spring was just the prelude to a more interesting competition that will take place in the summer when Christian Hackenberg arrives. Ferguson may have been the winner coming out of spring practice, but he's nearly as green as Hackenberg. With Bench, the only QB contender to have actually played in Penn State's offense, now out of the mix, the race for the starting spot appears wide open. Jesse James was the leading receiver in the Blue-White Game with five catches for 77 yards. RUNNING BACK SPRING STAR Anyone who saw the video that Penn State posted on its official website of Akeel Lynch plowing into Jake Kiley knows that the redshirt freshman was running with authority this spring. HURTING Bothered by a toe injury, Bill Belton missed some action this spring, including the Blue-White Game. In addition, Zach Zwinak is out of action until August with a wrist injury he suffered in the first quarter of the Blue-White Game. QUOTABLE O'Brien: "I have been very pleased with that position this spring. I would say, right now, if we broke the first huddle, probably Zwinak would get the first reps. But we're going to play all three of those guys. It goes back to depth. I don't think that you're just going to play one guy all year. Wherever I've been, the most successful running games I've been around have rotated backs. Zach's had a good spring. Billy Belton, I believe, is a much-improved player. He's lost some weight, Steve Manuel he moves quicker. ... And Akeel Lynch has improved every single day of spring practice. So we'll play all three of those guys next year." THE TAKEAWAY Penn State's backfield clearly isn't as structured as it was during the Paterno era, when there was usually one guy – a Curt Warner or Blair Thomas to cite two of the many, many examples – who could expect to handle the ball 25 times a game. O'Brien wants to use situational substitutions to get the most out of everyone on the depth chart. With Lynch ready for action and Belton having gotten back in the coaches' good graces after a disappointing sophomore season, O'Brien has a few more arrows in his quiver. The Lions lacked breakaway speed last year with Zwinak and Michael Zordich as their top two run- ning backs. That doesn't figure to be the case this season. Also, walk-on Deron Thompson showed some burst during the Blue-White Game, so if injuries take a toll on the Lions – and they are off to an inauspicious start with Zwinak and Belton both banged up – they appear capable of weathering the storm. WIDE RECEIVER SPRING STAR Allen Robinson had a stellar spring by all accounts, but that was to be expected from last season's Big Ten Receiver of the Year. The guy who reportedly stepped forward to establish himself as a potential impact player this fall was redshirt freshman Eugene Lewis. HURTING Robinson only took part in a

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