Blue White Illustrated

Blue-White Weekend. The day before the game, he got the Internet buzzing when he tweeted a Photoshopped image of him- self as a half-man/half-lion. Some were delighted, others bewildered, but everyone seemed to take notice. On game day, in between the :rst and second quarters, he grabbed a microphone, commandeered the PA system and instigated a "We are…" cheer. He also photobombed a few recruits on the sideline, signaling yet again that this is a new and di;erent Penn State foot- ball program. In the days and weeks that followed the spring game, Franklin gathered with his sta; to break down :lm and evaluate play- ers' on-:eld performances. He met with every player on the roster individually and gave them a feel for the kind of im- provements he will be looking to see when the team reconvenes for preseason prac- tice. Also on the agenda is the Coaches Caravan – Franklin is set to appear at all 17 stops in May – and more recruiting. Always more recruiting. Said the coach, "Obviously we are going to hit the state really hard. We are going to dominate the state. And then a=er that, we are going to work on dominating the states and get out wherever we have to go – :rst re- gionally, then nationally – so that we can :nd really, really good football players and people and students who can come here and make a positive impact on this com- munity and this program." Penn State already has a few players like that on its campus. Does it have enough? Enough to produce a winning season this fall? Those are the questions the team set out to answer this spring. Here's a look at what it accomplished, and what remains to be done. QUARTERBACK GOOD NEWS While fans didn't get a long look at Hackenberg in the Blue-White Game – he attempted only 10 passes in limited action, completing four for 43 trying to take this program to the next level and compete for Big Ten and national championships." The Blue-White Game was a tentative step in that direction, and Shoop probably le= the stadium on April 12 feeling at least as good as any of his colleagues. His :rst- team defense dominated the game, as the starter-laden Blue thrashed the White, 37-0. Neither o;ense looked particularly crisp, a development that was not entirely un- expected. The circumstances of the game put the o;enses at a disadvantage from the start. Christian Hackenberg barely played, Zach Zwinak and Bill Belton com- bined for one carry and members of the injury-depleted o;ensive line switched teams from time to time. And as the coach- ing sta; was quick to acknowledge, there was more to the disparity than just the unique logistical hurdles that spring foot- ball presents. Said Franklin, "The defense is ahead, I don't think there's any doubt about that. Either that, or we really wanted to work on our punting game." In ways large and small, the game dif- fered from previous editions. The quar- terbacks didn't wear red jerseys, and they were pursued aggressively, although they were considered to be down when a defender laid a hand on them. Also, Franklin did not watch the game from the sideline as Bill O'Brien did in his two spring games or from the radio booth as Joe Paterno did for many years, but instead from the field. On most plays, he stood about 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage. "The whole reason to be on the :eld is to basically control the quarterback. I wanted the o

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