Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1495456
A P R I L 2 0 2 3 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M F or the most part, James Franklin was pleased with the 2022 Blue- White Game. He had dubbed it the "Blue-White Event" due to a rash of injuries along the offensive line that prevented his team from playing a con- ventional game, but the Nittany Lions got through it without exacerbating their issues. And they had some fun in the pro- cess. An estimated crowd of 60,000 filed into Beaver Stadium to watch the event and was treated to a first glimpse of freshman running backs Nicholas Sin- gleton and Kaytron Allen. In addition, freshman quarterbacks Drew Allar and Beau Pribula took their first snaps in front of a crowd, and transfer wide re- ceiver Mitchell Tinsley caught his first passes as a Nittany Lion. Still, given the practice-like for- mat, with seven-on-seven and special teams periods interspersed with team action, Franklin couldn't fully com- mit to the idea. A spring game, he said, should be a spring game. "When you step into the stadium and you've got 60,000 fans, I want to know which young players can handle that," he told reporters. "I want the fan base excited going into the next year so that there's a buzz and they're talk- ing about it. I want you guys to write nice columns, please. All these types of things. I think there's value in it." In this year's Blue-White Game, set to take place April 15, the Nittany Lions will have an opportunity to demon- strate as much. At his mid-March press conference previewing spring practice, Franklin said he anticipates going back to a traditional Blue-White Game format thanks to a vast improvement in the number of healthy, available players. He has a litany of reasons for want- ing a traditional game. When 75,000 people are on hand, he said, he wants to deliver a product they can watch and enjoy. And for his players, whether they're January enrollees or upper- classmen vying for increased roles, a public evaluation creates new data points. Even coaches can derive meaning- ful opportunities from the experience, Franklin said. Assistants are given a chance to call plays, which helps with their professional development. Franklin's approach is a refreshing change from the prevailing trends in college football. The sport is becom- ing increasingly risk-averse, and in the process, a crucial element is being lost. While working smarter is a worthy aspiration, and avoiding unnecessary risks is similarly important, players need opportunities to develop and learn. "There's a cost-benefit ratio to ev- erything," Franklin said. "This is still a game where you had better block, you had better tackle, you had better be able to break tackles. So, it is needed in the overall evaluation of our program to know where we're heading. "Maybe I'm old school, but I'm still a believer that this game is built on toughness. I want to know who's tough when it matters most." Penn State players will also have to display those qualities in the 14 prac- tices preceding the Blue-White Game. Stretching from mid-March through mid-April, the offseason drills will provide PSU with no shortage of devel- opmental opportunities. Quarterback, tight end, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, sec- ondary — all have jobs and pecking orders to work out before the start of the 2023 season, and Franklin stressed that the value of spring practices isn't limited to just the Blue-White Game. "I think a guy can make a significant move in spring ball. Very rarely will it be the deciding factor for next fall," he said. "What I love about spring ball is that it gives the player and the coaches a really good indication of where they are and what their strengths and weak- nesses are. And then I'll have my end- of-the-year meetings with all of them and I'll sit down with each player on the team and give them specific feed- back." This year, that process will be aided by a live action, closely simulated, cre- scendo of an event. Fans and media will inevitably make too much of individual performances, good and bad. Coaches will have an opportunity to develop their players. And, most important, a Nittany Lion football program that aims to stand apart from its peers can again go its own way. ■ Drew Allar made his Beaver Stadium debut in last year's Blue-White Game, completing 6 of 14 passes for 61 yards, with 2 interceptions. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL O P I N I O N NATE BAUER NATE.BAUER@ON3.COM HOT READ Penn State Sees Value In A Traditional Spring Game