Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/465739
protection I ran at Stanford. It's just changing around the words. The one thing I was a little dismayed about was that the center has a little more on his plate pre-snap for the of- fense [at Stanford] and I love that stuff. I asked, I wonder if I could get the same responsibilities? It turns out No. 14 likes to have them. I haven't been in the pro- gram long, but I have an understanding of where we are on the totem pole, he and I. They're excited that I'm so famil- iar conceptually, maybe not with their vernacular, but we think about things the same way. I think I'm going to have no issues having that offense down [by] August. What are your goals? What do you hope to accomplish in this one season at Penn State? I want to go in and make good on the promise that I made Coach. They love the guys they have, talented football players. They've been around the sys- tem, and I have all the respect in the world for them, but I'm going to go in and I want to beat them out. The one thing Coach Hand stresses is that if someone beats someone out, or if someone pushes someone and doesn't get beat out, then the team gets better. So I want to go in there and win a job and make the team better. And I want to win this conference and I want to see what happens after that. ... We're just going to go out and win the next one and the next one. That's going to be our mindset, and I can't wait to play my role in that. ■ FOOTBALL Kickoff announced for Blue-White Game The Blue-White Game will take place a bit later than usual this year. Kickoff for the annual spring scrim- mage is set for 4 p.m. April 18, a de- parture from the usual early-after- noon kick. The game will air on BTN, the Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUs- ports.com. As in previous years, there will be no admission or parking fee. The Blue-White Game, presented by AAA, is the university's unofficial an- nual spring reunion. Last year, an esti- mated 72,000 fans were in atten- dance. The Blue-White Game has drawn more than 50,000 fans in six of the past eight years, including three consecutive crowds above 70,000. Jesse James' career as a Nittany Lion might be over, but his commitment to supporting Uplifting Athletes' Penn State chapter is not. The Penn State tight end, who has opt- ed to forgo his final season of eligibility for a shot at the NFL, has launched a "Reps for Research" fundraising cam- paign in connection with his appearance at the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine. James is running a PLDGIT campaign in which every bench press repetition he performs at the combine will raise funds for kidney cancer research. Since its in- ception, Penn State's chapter of Uplifting Athletes has been funding cancer research through a number of initiatives, including the annual Lift for Life event in July. James, who served as the Penn State chapter's director of marketing during his time as a Nittany Lion, will be in In- dianapolis for the combine from Feb. 17- 23. "All my best friends are the guys who are running the chapter, and I really enjoyed helping Uplifting Athletes and the Penn State chapter," James said. "The guys who did all the work, we bonded together and became close. And just because I'm not there anymore doesn't mean I don't support them." James is one of five Penn State players who have been invited to participate in the combine, the second-highest total in the Big Ten. The other former Nittany Lions who are set to appear are defensive back Adrian Amos, place-kicker Sam Ficken, linebacker Mike Hull and offen- sive tackle Donovan Smith. FOOTBALL James launches NFL Combine fundraiser JESSE JAMES TO CONTRIBUTE Those interested in helping James reach his goal of raising $5,000 for kidney cancer reasearch are invited to donate at pldgit.com/jessejames Steve Manuel