Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1462941
A P R I L 2 0 2 2 19 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M FIVE YEARS AGO, 2017 Coming off an 11-3 finish in 2016, Penn State was suddenly, surprisingly, a team with expectations to uphold. Coach James Franklin knew that all too well as he led the Nittany Lions through their spring practice sessions, and he was quick to remind every- one that they were far from a finished product, despite winning the Big Ten championship less than five months earlier. Said Franklin, "I think we have some things left in the tank." Those things were still in the tank after the Blue-White Game. The team's top three returning offensive stars — quarterback Trace McSorley, running back Saquon Barkley and tight end Mike Gesicki — played sparingly in the spring game. Instead, the 71,000 fans who filed into Beaver Stadium saw backup quarter- back Tommy Stevens complete 17 of 24 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns in lifting the Blue over the White, 26-0. Stevens said afterward that, like Franklin, he was focused on maintaining the program's upward trajectory. The 2016 season was "a great year," he said, "but it's over. There's no going back and reliving it. I feel that we're going to do the things that we can this year and work as hard as we can. The ultimate goal is to get back to where we were and keep this thing rolling in the right direction." Two years later, Stevens struck out in an entirely different direction, transferring to Mississippi State. So did the three play- ers on the other end of his touchdown passes in the 2017 spring game. Receivers Brandon Polk and Juwan Johnson and running back Andre Robinson all ended up transferring, too. 10 YEARS AGO, 2012 In his first spring game as Penn State's head football coach, Bill O'Brien changed the format, pitting the defensive starters against their offensive counterparts and awarding points to the defense for sacks, turnovers, three-and-outs and tackles for loss. The offense was awarded points for plays of 15 yards or more and for consecutive first downs, as well as for touchdowns and field goals. The result was a confusing muddle. The defense won, 77-65, although Penn State's sports information office conceded after- ward "we certainly could have missed something." Matt McGloin was one of six quarterbacks to see action in the game, throwing for 105 yards and a touchdown. A former walk- on, McGloin was the most experienced of those passers and would later be named the starter for the 2012 season. But even he wasn't entirely sure what happened in the Blue-White Game. "I couldn't even tell you what the final score was," McGloin said. "I didn't know what the system was. Were we getting six points for a touchdown? I don't know who came up with that scoring system, but it was definitely set up for the defense." 25 YEARS AGO, 1997 After a couple of drafts in which the heroes of Penn State's undefeated 1994 season moved on to the NFL — a combined total of 15 Nittany Lions were selected in 1995 and '96, five in the first round — the '97 draft was a relatively quiet affair. The first Penn State player to hear his name called was safety Kim Herring, who went to Baltimore in the second round with the 58th overall pick. The only other Nittany Lions selected that year were kicker Brett Conway, who went to Green Bay in the third round, and quarterback Wally Richardson, who went to Baltimore in the seventh. Herring had the most eventful career of that trio, playing in Super Bowls with the Ravens and St. Louis Rams. In Baltimore's 34-7 victory over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, Her- ring intercepted his former Penn State teammate Kerry Collins in the third quarter. While those players were departing, another Penn Stater was looking to take the next step in his career. The star of the Blue-White Game was a brash young wide receiver named Titcus Pettigrew. The sophomore was playing basketball and football at Penn State, and he seemed to be on the fast track in the latter after totaling seven catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, while adding an eight-yard score on the ground. Pettigrew was known for his braggadocio, but after his perfor- mance in the spring game he took issue with that characteriza- tion. "I'm humble," he said, "to a certain degree." Pettigrew ended up finding more success at PSU on defense, ranking third on the team in tackles in 2000 from his strong safety position. But he wasn't able to parlay that experience into an NFL career. Pettigrew signed as a free agent with San Diego in 2001 but never played in an NFL game. — Matt Herb This Month in Penn State Athletics History Quarterback Tommy Stevens was the star of Penn State's spring game in 2017, throwing for 216 yards and three touchdowns. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL