Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/672796
staff. Considering how easily the Blue squad moved the ball at times, I'll give them a B, but I think the jury is still out when it comes to how much this unit has truly improved. GRADE B DEFENSIVE LINE Kevin Givens was a man on a mission, racking up 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He also led the Blue squad in tackles with six. Antoine White showed signs of promise, but it's still pretty clear that depth could be an issue. The two junior college prospects need to be ready. GRADE B LINEBACKERS It's all about depth at linebacker this year. Without Brandon Bell and Nyeem Wartman-White, the younger linebackers were able to earn some valuable playing time this spring. I thought Manny Bowen showed that he's headed in the right direction, but this unit was picked apart at times in the passing game. GRADE C DEFENSIVE BACKS John Reid contin- ues to show signs that he could be a spe- cial player, racking up three pass deflec- tions. Koa Farmer was also often in the mix, recording six tackles. McSorley and Stevens had considerable success through the air, but it felt like a lot of those routes were mismatches against the linebackers. GRADE B COACHES Moorhead's offense was a lot of fun to watch, while Brent Pry's first-team defense pitched a shutout. It's tough to grade the same staff against each other, but I thought that both the offense and the defense gave fans a few reasons to be excited this coming sea- son. GRADE B CROWD I've seen more fans in the stands over the years, but I don't know if I've ever seen the parking lots as full as they were this time. After a few rainy spring games in recent years, Nittany Lion fans took advantage of the beauti- ful weather. After the game, Franklin estimated that 65,000 people came through the gates. GRADE A QUICK CHANGE Lions' new oense will require linemen to operate at a much faster pace