Blue White Illustrated

there's no doubt we're replacing a lot of experience. I would also make the argument to you guys that sometimes injuries are a blessing in disguise because they force you to create more depth. Nyeem [Wartman-White] had the injury bug the last two years, and even Brandon had some injuries. So the fact that we were able to get some other guys some reps, some le- gitimate reps and legitimate games I think helps with that. What do you want to see from Tommy Stevens this spring? I think it's a different situation right now. Tommy has to keep his eyes on the prize, and he's been ex- cellent at that. Last year, when we made the decision and named the starting quarterback, that was hard at first. I thought Tommy handled it really well and, throughout the sea- son, I thought he prepared to be the starter and he was ready to go. I think we all saw that when he got opportu- nities, he showed that he's got an ex- citing future here at Penn State. What he can't do is he can't change that. He can't lose that. He's got to have that approach every single day that he's going to prepare as if he's the starter. He's going to take the next step in every area. His footwork, his release, his arm strength, his ac- curacy, his understanding and grasp of the entire offense, his leadership on offense, his leadership with the whole team; it's the whole deal. We really look at it as if we have two starting quarterbacks who we feel like we can win with. I think Tommy realizes that and he needs to approach it that way for the long term, because what I found in my 23 years [of coaching] is that the minute you let your guard down, that's when the opportunity comes. So you have to keep preparing and make sure that when your time comes and opportunity knocks that you're ready to open the door and be ready to maximize that opportunity. ■ P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> I t would be easy to assume that Saeed Blacknall is approaching Penn State's upcoming season with a renewed sense of purpose after his junior year ended anticlimactically. But that wouldn't be entirely accurate. Blacknall is feeling highly motivated, but not just because of the Rose Bowl, a game he missed while serving a suspension for an unspecified violation of team rules. He's also eager to make the most of his one remaining sea- son of eligibility. "With this being my last year and me being a leader and a senior, that alone kind of handles that [motivational angle]," he said. "I take what happened in the past and learn from those experi- ences, see what happened and hopefully not let it happen in the future. As far as looking forward, I'm just going to grind harder and do whatever I can to get more opportunities to play in big games, as we did last year as a team." With Chris Godwin having left early to enter the NFL Draft, Blacknall could very well find himself playing a much more prominent role this fall. The 6-foot-3, 212-pounder is among the fastest players on the team, having turned in a sub-4.4- second 40-yard time during winter workouts last month, and he's shown the ability to make contested catches and break free for additional yardage. Given his physical ability, it's no sur- prise that James Franklin has faith in him. Said the Nittany Lions' head coach last month, "We expect him to have a huge off-season and go and have a mon- ster year this year." That off-season was hampered this spring when Blacknall suffered an ap- parent leg injury. He might miss the Blue-White Game, but he still could be on track for a big finish. Even though Blacknall's statistical portfolio through three seasons includes a relatively mod- est 34 catches for 707 yards and five touchdowns, he's had some brilliant moments. There was the turnaround catch against Ohio State this past sea- son, a 37-yarder that set up a late touch- down and got the Lions' comeback started. There was a 42-yarder at Purdue and a 43-yarder at Indiana. And of course there was the Big Ten Champi- onship Game, in which he finished with six catches for 155 yards, including touchdown receptions of 40 of 70 yards. If there are questions about Blacknall's readiness for a more prominent role, they stem from the feast-or-famine na- ture of his career. While there have been games in which he's made the spectacu- lar look routine, there have also been long stretches of quietude. As a sopho- more in 2015, his average per catch (31 yards) surpassed his average per game (19.1 yards). He reversed those numbers last year, averaging 23.1 yards per catch and 38.6 per game, but he still was out of action for much of the season. The problems started in Penn State's opener against Kent State. Blacknall seemed to be primed for a big season after strong performances in spring practice and preseason camp, but late in the game against the Golden Flashes, he suffered a finger injury while trying to make a catch. It started as a dislocation; Blacknall popped the bone back into place on the field and tried to keep going. But the pain didn't subside, and doctors discovered after the game that he had suffered a fracture. He missed the team's next four games, a significant loss even for a team that had built up a sizable stockpile of receiving talent. As Franklin noted, "Going into last season, we thought he was going to have a breakout year. And then he had some injuries that kind of slowed him down." Blacknall returned to action on Oct. 8 against Maryland and re- gained his starting spot three weeks later against Purdue. By the time of HITCH AND GO Saeed Blacknall eager to regain his momentum this fall |

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