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State sideline. Said Godwin, "We had all seen those things [from Thompkins] in camp. It's just a matter of [fans and media] seeing it now. It's not really very surprising. He's a great player and has a lot of speed, and it showed." There were other moments that could foretell good things for the Nittany Lions as the season continues. Godwin had seven catches for 67 yards against the Golden Flashes, adding a bit of additional footage to an already lengthy highlight reel with a lunging reception over the middle. Hamilton snared a bullet in the end zone from quarterback Trace McSor- ley for the Lions' first touchdown of the season, and he followed it up with eight catches for 82 yards against Pitt. Under Moorhead's direction, the of- fense frequently features Godwin all by himself opposite Hamilton and a third wideout. Blacknall was that third receiver to begin the season, but he missed the Pitt and Temple games with an injury, and the timetable for his return is not known. Even so, the Lions are "comfort- able in that set," Godwin said. "It's how Coach Moorhead wants to do things. It's how he al- ways did things in the past. It's definitely something we're really comfortable with and hopefully some- thing we'll see moving forward." The set will give Godwin a chance to reprise a marvelous sophomore season, in which he displayed a talent for outdu- eling defensive backs for jump-balls and also for dragging defenders downfield after the catch. Becoming only the third Penn State wideout to surpass 1,000 re- ceiving yards in a season, Godwin won second-team All-Big Ten recognition. As long as McSorley is able to put the ball where he can get it – and he can get it if it's anywhere in his vicinity – he's a can- didate to equal or surpass his 2015 honors this fall. By contrast, Hamilton has had to make a bit of an adjustment. After lining up both outside and inside the past two sea- sons, he's now primarily in the slot. It may not be an entirely new experience, but the move to a full- time role required him to add weight. During the off-season, he gained about 5 pounds and is now listed at 211. Ever since the shift inside was revealed this past spring, Hamilton has down- played its disruptive nature. That's en- tirely in character. The son of two Marine Corps veterans, he grew up with an un- derstanding of the need to put personal feelings aside sometimes and work to- ward a greater good. During his last three seasons at Moun- tain View High in Stafford, Va., he was coached by Lou Sorrentino. During his previous stop at C.D. Hylton High, Sor- rentino had coached Deon Butler, and he saw shades of the Penn State great in Hamilton. "He was very talented, but what made him stand out above the rest was how bright he was," Sorrentino told BTN.com. "He didn't have a big ego to the point where that was ever going to be a prob- lem. DaeSean really saw the big picture." That picture is not so hard to visualize now that the second half of his college ca- reer is under way. By deploying one of their more accomplished pass-catchers against an array of linebackers and safeties, the Lions are hoping to create mismatches that will lead to yardage and points. For Hamilton, it means "keeping my versatility up, but adding a little bit of muscle to it." For the people charged with covering him, it means trouble. "You're going against guys who aren't really used to covering," Hamilton said. "[Safeties] are the more aggressive guys who are looking to come in and stop the run, especially in the Big Ten, which is a run-heavy conference. "Then going against linebackers, being able to take advantage of that mismatch FLASH FORWARD Godwin goes after a pass from Trace McSorley in Penn State's opener against Kent State. The junior wideout finished with a team-best seven catches for 67 yards. Photo by Steve Manuel

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