Blue White Illustrated

building, we're fully on to 2017 and we're not discussing those things again." Never is a long time, of course, and there will undoubtedly come a day when the players on last year's team will feel free to reminisce to their hearts' content. But for now, Franklin is eager to turn the page. Can you blame him? Penn State is almost certainly going to have to field an even better team in 2017 than it did a year ago if it's to have any hope of even getting back to the championship game, so com- placency is not an option. Said the coach, "This is a very good conference we play in. And [although] we had a nice season, we still have a lot of work to do in a lot of different areas." Penn State addressed many of those areas in its spring drills, which ended April 22 with the starter-laden Blue shut- ting down the White, 26-0, in the spring game. The Lions answered a few of their most pressing questions during the month that preceded that game. A few others will likely be addressed in presea- son practice, and some may remain unre- solved until September, when the team starts playing games that count. Here's a position-by-position look at Penn State's off-season objectives, along with an as- sessment of whether it was able to make the desired progress this spring. QUARTERBACK OBJECTIVES The Nittany Lions went into spring practice with two goals: to en- hance Trace McSorley's proficiency in his second year at the controls of Joe Moor- head's check-with-me offense, and to build depth at the position. ACCOMPLISHMENTS McSorley didn't enjoy another revelatory Blue-White P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> T ommy Stevens doesn't like making it about himself. It's why he doesn't sulk just because he's the backup behind Big Ten champi- onship-winning quarterback Trace Mc- Sorley, and it's why he kept the celebration to a minimum after his star turn in the Blue-White Game, a game in which he threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns. No, he's a team-first guy, and he says that's what motivates him to continue to improve. Penn State's coaches have been saying as much ever since he arrived on campus in January 2015, noting that he prepares each week like a starter. In practice, he often performs like one, too. And in the annual spring scrimmage, in front of an estimated crowd of 71,000, Stevens did just that. Not only did he pace all passers with a rating of 187.7, he also completed seven consecutive throws. His longest went for 50 yards, caught by DeAndre Thompkins. But it wasn't a question of trying to prove anything to anyone, or make a statement. Rather, he said, he was just looking to do his job. "There wasn't necessarily a thing in particular that I was needing to show people," he said. "I just wanted to come out and execute the way I knew I could, play as hard as I could. A lot of guys around me were doing the same things, and I think that's why it looked as good as it did, just because guys were going up to get the ball, and the offensive linemen were blocking their tails off for me. It's just fun to come to work and work with those guys, because we all share com- mon goals and we work great with each other." That's just what Stevens has been doing since he graduated early from De- catur Central near Indianapolis and joined Penn State a little over two years ago. Each day, he shows up without craving attention, without a full-time starter's role, even if he gave it his all to compete for that spot last fall. "That was a quarterback battle," head coach James Franklin emphasized. By the time the season opened, it was McSorley who was taking the snaps. Al- though it wasn't exactly an easy conso- lation prize for Stevens to embrace, it's one he accepted. Then he continued to press forward. "I'm sure you can probably imagine it's tough at times," he said. "But at the same time, I try not to make this about me. I don't want it to be about me. I just want to come in, do my job, help this team win and just do whatever I can." So he kept his nose down last fall and continued to prepare as though he could be called on at any moment. Then throughout the season, he was. He ap- peared in seven games and finished his redshirt freshman season by completing 2 of 3 passes. He also showed that he might be even more effective with his legs, rushing for 198 yards and two touchdowns, sometimes out of a two- QB formation. He took off and ran a few times in the Blue-White Game, too, but with the ref- erees blowing quick whistles, Stevens' final stat line ended at minus-2 yards on three carries. His longest carry was 3 yards. The point, however, is that the ap- proach he took last fall carried over throughout winter workouts and into spring practice. And if anything, he's taken it to another level. Franklin spoke highly of his efforts throughout the spring sessions, and Stevens put them SOMETHING IN RESERVE Backup quarterback Tommy Stevens shows he's ready to step in if needed |

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