Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1464375
3 6 M A Y 2 0 2 2 N o matter what one's college football allegiance may be, there's some- thing reassuring about the mere existence of spring practice, a sense of optimism that comes from the realiza- tion that the coaching staff is working to fix whatever shortcomings surfaced dur- ing the previous season and refine all the things that went right. Of course, that optimism is tempered by the knowledge that every other team is doing the same thing. And in Penn State's case, those other teams rank among the best in the game year in and year out, a consequence of playing in one of college football's toughest divisions, the Big Ten East. The Nittany Lions are bracing for a 2022 season in which they will face one of last year's College Football Playoff semifi- nalists, along with eight other teams that played in bowl games. Here's brief look at what those teams have been up to this spring: WEEK 1 — AT PURDUE The Boilermakers were hit hard by inju- ries this spring, particularly in the receiv- ing corps and secondary. The injuries on offense allowed Iowa transfer Tyrone Tracy Jr. to show off his potential at receiver. With David Bell having moved on to the NFL, Tracy looks as though he will be one of quarterback Aidan O'Connell's primary targets this coming fall. On defense, the Boilermakers were be- deviled throughout their offseason drills by injury problems. There were only two scholarship cornerbacks available to play in the spring game, both transfers. WEEK 2 — OHIO Coming off a 3-9 finish in Tim Albin's first season as head coach, the Bobcats spent spring practice getting acquainted with their new defensive coordinator, Spence Nowinsky, who arrived in January. Nowinsky made stops at Idaho, Minne- sota State, Illinois State and Miami (Ohio) before taking charge of Ohio's defense. He'll be looking to upgrade a unit that last year ranked ninth in the Mid-Amer- ican Conference in scoring defense (30.3 points per game) and eighth in total de- fense (432.3 yards per game). WEEK 3 — AT AUBURN Auburn has new offensive and defen- sive coordinators following a 6-7 finish last year. If some disgruntled boosters had succeeded, the program might have been in the market for a new head coach, too. Bryan Harsin survived the attempted coup, but now he and new OC Eric Kiesau need to fix a struggling offense. Their big- gest decision will be at quarterback. Three contenders were working out this spring, but not the leading candidate, Zach Cal- zada. A Texas A&M transfer, Calzada was bothered by a shoulder injury and didn't play in Auburn's spring game. WEEK 4 — CENTRAL MICHIGAN The Chippewas have been working this spring to fill some vacancies at offensive tackle and in the receiver corps, but they also return several of the playmakers that led the team to 9-4 record last year and a victory over Washington State in the Sun Bowl. Headlining that group of high-profile returnees is running back Lew Nichols III, who gained 1,848 yards and scored 16 touchdowns last fall. W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M SEASON SEASON OF CHANGE OF CHANGE Penn State's upcoming opponents were busy remaking their depth charts during spring practice M A T T H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Jim Harbaugh opted to stay at Michigan after interviewing for the Minnesota Vikings' head coaching vacancy. But while the Wolverines held onto their head coach, they lost their offensive and defensive coordinators earlier this year. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL