Blue White Illustrated

Bill O'Brien and his staff use spring practice to get acquainted with their new team SEASON'S GREETINGS E STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Penn State's new conditioning coaches put the Nittany Lions through their paces on March 26, the first day of spring practice. Steve Manuel A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 2 17 MATT HERB |M A T T@B L U EWH I T E O N L I N E . C O M ven during those quiet, uneventful years, the ques- tions tend to outnumber the answers during spring football practice. There are always a few in- juries that need rehabbing, a few strategic wrin- kles that need exploring and a few classes that need passing. Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past six months – and there have definitely been times when hiding under a rock has looked like a pretty good option – you know that this has been neither a quiet nor un- eventful time for Penn State. The team has a new coach- ing staff, some new schemes to learn and a bunch of prospective new starters at key positions. But the rites of spring are eternal. So while many of the faces in the Lasch Building are unfamiliar, the team has been gradually turning its attention back to football practice. This year, the chance to concentrate on the part of the game that takes place between the white lines has been welcome indeed. "We've had a really good winter, and it's obvious to us that we have really good kids here and guys who want to be good and want to be coached and get better every day," coach Bill O'Brien said prior to the start of spring drills. "So we're just real- ly excited about getting out there and starting to play football, watch how these guys react in different situa- tions on the football field, watch how the quarterbacks throw the ball in person, watch how the receivers catch the ball in person. "We're very excited about it, and we feel we have a chance to have a good football team. We've got a long way to go, but if hard work is any measure of how good GAME GLANCE WHEN 2 p.m., April 21 WHERE Beaver Stadium WHAT ELSE A carnival adjacent to Beaver Stadi- um will operate Friday to Sunday. The carnival, wing fest, food vendors and entertainment stage near the stadium will open at 6 p.m. April 20, with fireworks scheduled for 9 p.m. Also on Fri- day, Penn State Uplifting Athletes will again sponsor a dunk tank with proceeds benefiting the team's Lift for Life fundraiser for the Kidney Cancer Association. On game day, the carnival and entertainment stage will open at 10 a.m. Players will be available for autographs, and af- ter the game, there will be a concert on the stage. The carnival will run until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Also on Sunday, the Beaver Stadium 5K Run/Family Fun Walk to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania will begin at 11 a.m. For more information on the Beaver Stadium 5K Run/Family Fun Walk go to www.stadiumrun.org.

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