Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/497887
A P R I L 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 PLAYER OF THE GAMEWith both Chris Godwin and DeAndre Thomp- kins held out, Saeed Blacknall and Geno Lewis were left to pick up the slack. In what was an otherwise up- and-down afternoon for the Nittany Lions' offense, their combined 12 re- ceptions for 132 yards and a touch- down led the way. PLAY OF THE GAMEHis knee might have actually been down by contact, but Nick Scott's 51-yard second-half touchdown run was impressive nonetheless. And with no way to over- turn it via replay, his effort was enough to make him the game's leading rusher with 77 yards on nine carries. BEST PASS Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg didn't have much time to stand in the pocket Saturday af- ternoon. But on a third-and-6 at his own 29, the junior QB took advantage of an opportunity and aired out a perfectly placed ball down the right sideline to Blacknall for a 41-yard gain. BEST RUNAkeel Lynch helped make the most of the Blue squad's extended- by-penalty first drive, weaving 22 yards through traffic on a draw up the middle and into the end zone. The score gave his side an early 7-0 first-quarter lead. BEST CATCHLewis displayed some impressive full extension on a third- and-short pass from Hackenberg. With the catch, Lewis was able to pick up a first down deep in Blue's own territory in the first quarter. BEST SACKEvan Schwan played for both sides Saturday and took full ad- vantage, establishing himself as a near- constant presence in his opponent's backfield. He created a lot of problems for Paris Palmer, but the juco left tackle wasn't the only one who struggled to contain Schwan. Facing the White's second-team offensive line, he ripped through a big hole toward Tommy Stevens just as the true freshman QB unloaded a deep pass down the side- line. He didn't get credit for that one, but he capitalized with yet another op- portunity late in the first half, his sec- ond. BEST HITWhite running back Nick Scott was met almost immediately on his handoff from Billy Fessler. The greeter? None other than Blue defensive end Carl Nassib, coming from the op- posite side of the field. BEST EFFORTHackenberg may be best known for his skills as a drop-back passer, but he was game to try running for yardage Saturday afternoon. He routinely used rollouts and designed runs to get the ball upfield. BEST KICKJoey "Big Toe" Julius had a few during Saturday's game, but the most compelling kicks took place dur- ing the pregame field goal competition. Duking it out with Chris Gulla, Tyler Davis, Nick Boumerhi and Troy Stiva- son, Julius and Davis battled to a draw. Both of them made a pair of 55-yarders. WORST DECISIONIntended for Matt Zanellato on the sideline, Hackenberg's first pass of the second half was under- thrown and picked off by cornerback Bryant Harper at the 36-yard line. The interception was Hackenberg's first of the game. MOST TELLING MOMENTThe Nittany Lions' first-team offensive line is still very much the work in progress that head coach James Franklin has been describing since practice began in March. For as many nice passes as Hackenberg was able to complete, he was under duress seemingly just as often – against the Nit- tany Lions' second- and third-team de- fensive lines. –NATE BAUER JUDGMENT CALLS The best and the rest from the Nittany Lions' spring game BEST RUN Lynch gave the Blue a 7-0 lead in the first quarter with a 22-yard TD burst. Photo by Bill Zimmerman