Blue White Illustrated

Big impact Geno Lewis is set to contribute – any way he can L O R I   S H O N T Z | B L U E W H I T E C O N T R I B U T O R Geno Lewis swears he didn't need to beg, didn't need to lobby, didn't even need to ask the question. It was the coaching staff who came to him, letting him know they wanted to make better use of his high-school quarterbacking skills. Coming into the Blue-White Game, fans were looking to see whether Lewis was ready to assume primary receiver duty, with Allen Robinson leaving for the NFL DraA. But they leA talking about his 56-yard touchdown pass to Matt Zanel- lato. "Geno made that throw, and now his head's a little big," running back Akeel Lynch said, laughing. "But we still love him." Lewis threw the ball off a reverse, and aAer he ducked around two defenders, he found Zanellato, who was as wide open as it is possible to be. Lewis began cele- brating before the play ended, but he knew there was no way Zanellato would- n't score. The way Lewis tells it, he didn't even need to warm up. "When you've got it, you've got it," he said. He waited a beat, then grinned. Offensive coordinator John Donovan said Lewis' versatility is especially im- portant to establish heading into the sea- son. "Any team has gotta be able to respect guys doing multiple things," he said. "It puts a little pressure on the de- fense. Now that they know that he can do that, they can't be as fast to react as other things they might see." Lewis had one chance to make a big im- pact in his true position, wide receiver, when Christian Hackenberg threw over the middle – a good 50 yards or so – to Lewis, who got a hand on the ball, but couldn't make the catch. "I was trying to see where the ball was, to judge it," Lewis said. "I realized at the very, very last second, it was just a little too far. That's a play that I've gotta make Me and Hack, we talked about it. It's bet- ter making that mistake now than in a game." The key, Lewis said, is forging a rela- tionship with Hackenberg. That's not just developed by throwing and catching the ball – it's by hanging out, sitting to- gether at lunch, working on everything from timing to just getting to know each other. And replacing Robinson, he said, isn't his job alone. "It's all the wide receivers working together, all about us," he said. "It's not just about me filling in for ARob. We need as many people to step up as possible." If that means Lewis needs to throw a pass now and then, he's fine with that. "It felt good, I guess," he said. "I like run- ning routes better, though." G A M E   G R A D E S QUARTERBACKS PSU's quarterbacks com- bined for 199 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. Not great, but for a big work-in-progress with the line and wideouts, it's a start. GRADE C RUNNING BACKS With just five combined carries between projected contributors Akeel Lynch and Bill Belton, with Zach Zwinak held out, Chip Chiappiale looked good on nine carries with two touch- downs. GRADE B RECEIVERS Though the ball was plenty spread around, that Geno Lewis and Christian Hackenberg couldn't hook up was a minor disappointment. He'll be re- lied upon this fall. GRADE C OFFENSIVE LINE No need to pile on a group that is working through injury and other obstacles this spring. It gave up nine sacks. Enough said. GRADE D DEFENSIVE LINE The competition doesn't make this a fair fight, but James Franklin has every reason to be pleased about the defensive line. Certainly the most devel- oped unit on the field Saturday after- noon. GRADE A LINEBACKERS With Mike Hull in for only a few plays, Ben Kline and Nyeem Wart- man sidelined, and Brandon Bell playing sparingly, this is another unit that didn't show much Saturday. Gary Wooten re- ceived post-game praise, though. GRADE B DEFENSIVE BACKS Penn State's DBs won't face a less-together offense than they saw Saturday afternoon. Still, the ball- hawking that produced three intercep- tions and some nice pass breakups was encouraging for the unit. GRADE A SPECIAL TEAMS Chris Gulla had his moments punting , producing 12 kicks for a 39.1 yard average per attempt. A botched extra point attempt is somewhat worri- some considering past troubles. GRADE B COACHES For this group's first time in Beaver Stadium, it's hard to argue with the results… those being a verbal com- mitment from four-star defensive tackle prospect Adam McLean before the game even started. GRADE A CROWD On an afternoon that couldn't have been much more delightful, Penn State fans turned out in force, filling the tailgating lots and Beaver Stadium. No doubt, impressive turnouts help pro- duce recruiting success. GRADE A SIGNING DAY Before the Blue-White Game, Lewis signed autographs for fans. Once action began, he threw a touchdown pass. A P R I L 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 6 Steve Manuel

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