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into the end zone, shaving six points off of what had been a 31-13 Ohio State lead early in the fourth quarter. "That catch was legit," Stubblefield said. "That was nasty." Even nastier was the Buckeyes' re- sponse: a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that put the game out of reach. The loss dropped Penn State to 0-2 on the season, and things only got worse from there, as the Lions dropped their next three games to Maryland, Nebraska and Iowa. But scattered amid the wreckage of a season that hasn't been what anyone ex- pected have been a few hopeful signs for the future. One of those signs has been the play of Dotson and young receivers Parker Washington and KeAndre Lam- bert-Smith. During the 2018 and '19 sea- sons, Penn State's offense was often hindered by the absence of a consistent downfield receiving threat to comple- ment Hamler. But the Lions now appear to have the makings of a more diverse re- ceiving corps. For now, Dotson is focused on making the most of what's left of his junior sea- son. And that means that every time he sees a pass headed his way, he knows it's an opportunity – both for the team and for himself. "It's a million dollars in the air," he said. "You want it, you go get it. Every time the ball's in the air, it's a chance for you to make a name for yourself and put the team on your back. Every time the ball's in the air, it's a million dollars. We've got to cash in." It took a while for him to get the chance to make those kinds of plays, but thanks in large part to the people around him, his moment has arrived. "My family is telling me to be patient all the time, and that's what I've been doing," Dotson said. "It's finally paid off." ■ | E ven before Parker Washington showed up at Penn State, his future teammates knew what to expect. That's because they had watched the highlight video attached to his online recruiting pro;le, a video ;lled with one-handed grabs, catches in tra=c, miraculous sideline escapes and a whole lot of YAC. But there was more to Washington than an a=nity for high- light reel moments. What his future team- mates didn't know at the time – but would soon ;nd out – was that in addition to having the physical skills to compete at a Big Ten level, Wash- ington also had the mentality needed to excel right away. As soon as he showed up on campus, the four-star prospect from Sugar Land, Texas, was locked in. "He acts like he's been there before," junior receiver Jahan Dotson told re- porters in November. "He's really calm about things. He takes on pressure situa- tions like a vet would. "You guys have probably seen his high school highlight ;lm. It's ridiculous, hon- estly. I just knew he was going to be a good player. He came in and just made plays. We asked him to be consistent and make those plays, and he does that every day in practice. He makes plays against the [starters] on defense when we're going against each other. He makes plays all the time. I trusted him to make plays on game day, and that's what he's been doing." Indeed he has. Through Penn State's ;rst ;ve games, 5-foot-10, 205-pound Washington was the Nittany Lions' third- leading receiver with 21 catches for 256 yards and three touchdowns. Washington appeared in the starting lineup in his very ;rst game, becoming the ;rst true freshman receiver to start a season opener for Penn State since Bran- don Polk in 2015. That was a testament to his strong showing in preseason camp. Receivers coach Taylor Stubble;eld said that when the sta< is assembling a start- ing lineup, its decisions about individual players are guided by three questions: Is he able to stay healthy? Does he under- stand the scheme? And can he execute his role within the scheme? Washington an- swered all of those questions a=rma- tively in the weeks leading up to the season. "Those are the things that he demon- strated all of camp," Stubble;eld said. "He's earned where he's at on the depth chart, the snaps he's getting in the game. He's earned that through a lot of hard work and just a consistent performance." Washington comes from an athletic family. His father, Christopher, played football at Mississippi State and the Air Force Academy. Two cousins are playing pro sports, one with the Jacksonville Jaguars, another in the Kansas City Roy- als' minor league system. "He comes from a great family," Stub- ble;eld said. "Mom is competitive, dad is competitive, sister is competitive. And I know this, he doesn't want to disap- point." He hasn't. Washington's 225 receiving yards through four games were the most by a Penn State true freshman since Deon Butler totaled 242 yards in 2005. Coming o< the Nebraska game, in which he had ;ve catches for 70 yards, Washington was one of only six Nittany Lions since 2000 Freshmen boost Nittany Lions' receiver corps WASHINGTON

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