Blue White Illustrated

April 15 Newsletter

Penn State Sports Magazine

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A P R I L 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 2 the sanction era, they can afford to be a bit more judicious in how they use their first-teamers. Some players who figure to play key roles in the fall, such as line- backer Nyeem Wartman and tight end Adam Breneman, will almost certainly sit out the spring game. Wartman, slowed by an unspecified injury, said on Tuesday that his availability is "to be an- nounced." Some other top players such as Chris- tian Hackenberg, Akeel Lynch, Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson may only play cameo roles as Penn State looks above all to make sure that everyone comes out of spring drills as healthy as possible. In their place, a number of young play- ers will be making their public debuts. The competition for the backup running back spot is one noteworthy battle, as the winner is certain to be a freshman. Mark Allen has drawn praise from Franklin, as has Nick Scott. Johnathan Thomas has seen his practice time cur- tailed for undisclosed reasons. "Mark Allen has had a really good spring," Franklin said. "I've been pleased with him. Nick has shown some flashes but he's still got a ways to go. Johnathan Thomas has been limited, and he was a guy going into spring everybody was re- ally kind of excited about." In addition, fans will witness the un- veiling of two backup quarterbacks: red- shirt freshman Trace McSorley and January enrollee Tommy Stevens. On defense, the highly anticipated de- buts include defensive end Torrence Brown and linebackers Koa Farmer and Troy Reeder. The Lions are also making some tweaks to the game's format this year. There won't be radical changes of the sort that O'Brien might have eventually proposed if he hadn't leC for the NFL, but Penn State will conduct a de facto kicking clinic to help the coaches evaluate their place-kickers and punters. Franklin has THE BLUE-WHITE GAME AT A GLANCE WHERE Beaver Stadium WHEN 4 p.m., April 18 TV The Big Ten Network will air the game live. Scott Graham will provide play-by-play commentary, while former Nittany Lion quarterback Matt McGloin will serve as analyst. BTN will rebroadcast the game on Sunday at midnight and 10 p.m., Monday at 11:30 p.m. and Tuesday at 4 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. RADIO/WEB The Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUsports.com will air the game live, with Steve Jones handling the play-by-play call and Jack Ham offering analysis. ADMISSION/PARKING Both are free for fans attending the game. Parking will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Some lots may not be open because of construction or surface conditions. The overnight RV lot opens Friday, April 17, at 8 a.m. and is $60, cash only. Beaver Stadium parking lots will open on game day at 8 a.m. Beaver Stadium gates A and B will open at 1 p.m., and all remaining stadium gates will open at 2:30 p.m. IF YOU GO The team blue bus arrival for the Nittany Lions will be at 12:45 p.m. at the corner of Curtin and Porter roads. An autograph session with the Nittany Lions will take place from 1:15-2 p.m. in the stadium. The players will be permitted to sign one item per person to give as many fans as possible an opportunity to meet the squad. The Totino's Fan Festival, the official Penn State football game day fan festival, includes numerous displays, vendors and interactive events for kids, and will run from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The Fan Festival will be located on Curtin Road near Beaver Stadium, as it is during the season. The Blue-White Family Fun Zone will take place from 9 a.m-1 p.m. in Holuba Hall. It is open to the public and has free admission. The Fun Zone will feature game stations run by Penn State teams, live entertainment, appearances by the regional mascots, inflata- bles, free face painting, food and beverages, merchandise, interactive games, novelty stations and giveaways. The 6th Annual Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run/Family Fun Walk to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania is set for 11 a.m. Sunday, April 19. Partici- pants will finish at the 50-yard line in Beaver Stadium for the 3-mile run or 1-mile walk. For more information, go to specialolympicspa.org PENN STATE GAME DAY TRAFFIC UPDATE There is no reserved parking for the Blue-White Game, but fans planning to attend are encouraged to pre-print a parking pass to assist traffic and parking personnel in getting patrons into the stadium parking lots. The printable parking pass can be found at GoPSUs- ports.com's Blue-White Game Central: http://bit.ly/1NCqt1R Fans are encouraged to check www.GoPSUsports.com and news.psu.edu, Twitter accounts @GoPSUsports and @penn_state, and local radio stations (1450 AM, 93.7 FM and 970 AM) for parking and traffic updates prior to kickoff. Penn State Customer Relations representatives will be available at 1-800-NITTANY Friday until 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. until one hour after the conclu- sion of the game. Fans can follow the Twitter hashtag #PSUparking for up- dates. TRAFFIC ADVISORY Fans planning to park and tailgate as a group should ar- rive together to the parking areas. Do not reserve spaces, as latecomers will be directed to other lots. As fans enter the traffic pattern on approach to Beaver Stadium, they should ensure that the parking pass is displayed on the driver's

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