Blue White Illustrated

K evin Givens needed exactly one play to introduce himself to the 65,000 fans who had turned out for the Blue- White Game. The White offense was lined up in the shotgun, taking its first snap of the game. Quarterback Tommy Stevens handed off to Andre Robinson, but the redshirt fresh- man running back barely had time to secure the ball before he was met 4 yards deep in the backfield by Givens, who had ripped past two would-be blockers at the line of scrimmage. Robinson managed to squirm out of the tackle but ended up losing a couple of yards on the play, as Givens' teammates on the Blue defense swarmed around him before he could get back to the line. A redshirt freshman defensive tackle, Givens might have been serving notice of what's to come. In the weeks leading up to the spring game, he had been receiving frequent praise from his teammates, and from head coach James Franklin. For that reason, his strong effort did not come en- tirely out of the blue. Still, there was an element of uncertainty at play in that the coaching staff didn't have any confirmation that the improve- ments they saw in the weight room and in practice would carry over into game day. "We thought he could do it, but you never know. He actually was probably one of the big surprises and stars of spring," Franklin said. "He did it in the weight room, but we also have guys who are great in the weight room, and it doesn't always translate to the field. He was able to translate. I thought he made a bunch of plays in the backfield." Franklin's assessment might have ac- tually been an understatement. Consistently shedding blockers as he crashed through the White squad's of- fensive line, Givens was affecting plays even when he wasn't being credited sta- tistically. By the time his afternoon was complete, he had made six tackles to lead the Blue side, including 3.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Short on words with reporters in the Beaver Stadium media room afterward, the quiet Altoona, Pa., native assessed his afternoon simply. "It felt different," he said. "I have never been out in a huge stadium before, so it was a good experience." Givens said he acclimated to Beaver Sta- dium's big stage – albeit in the no-frills, test-run atmosphere of the Blue-White Game – fairly quickly. That's not surprising considering how readily he's adapted to PURSUIT ANGLE Givens chases down quarterback Billy Fessler in the fourth quarter of the Blue-White Game. Photo by Steve Manuel EARLY RISER Freshman Kevin Givens pushes for role on D-line |

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