Blue White Illustrated

P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> One of Brown's specialties, Farmer added, is his ability to rush the passer. "You could arguably say that he has the best pass rush on the team, as far as blitz- ing, because he's just so long and quick and [blockers] think that because he's so big, you can get underneath his pads, but it's the complete opposite," Farmer said. "He knows how to maneuver past guys and get a sack or a big hit or a good tackle. When he rushes, it's crazy how he's so big and how he can just glide through gaps and make plays." The added weight certainly helps. As a freshman, Brown weighed 215 pounds at most and quickly discovered that in order to hold his own on an every-down basis, he would need to gain more muscle mass. His experiences playing against offensive linemen who often had a 100-pound weight advantage gave him extra inspira- tion to bulk up heading into his sopho- more season. "Playing against big O-linemen in the Big Ten makes it a little bit harder to get off the holds that [they rarely] get called for and the blocks and things like that," Brown said. "Bringing the weight is [im- portant] when you're trying to make a tackle against some of the running backs. It's not as easy as in high school when you can just wrap it up and keep it moving. That made it a little bit harder for me, but with 10 pounds on I feel they're going to help me a little bit more and I've gotten faster and stronger, so I think that's defi- nitely going to translate onto the field, too." This spring, Brown is back at the Will linebacker position, playing behind Manny Bowen and pushing for playing time again. There's no redshirt this time around, and he's preparing with the ex- pectation that he will be an every-game contributor, even if it's on special teams first and as a rotational linebacker sec- ond. If he gets called into a full-time role again, he's more ready for that now than he was last year. After all, he's got some experience under his belt. Thrust into action last year, Brown fin- ished with 33 total tackles, which led all freshmen on the team. He had 1.5 tackles for loss, including an assisted sack. He also added a key blocked punt in the win over Ohio State, one of the first times in his college career that he was able to use his height advantage to outduel an oppo- nent. And those numbers – more than the stats in the Blue-White Game, more than the weight added in the off-season – might be what are most important to his continued development. "Experience is invaluable," Pry said. "Whether it was special teams or when he was on the defense, there is no replacing that. We can do all of the practice reps and scrimmage reps, but out there under the lights against an opponent, that's where the guys really grow." ■ FANTASTIC CUISINE EXCEP TIONAL ATMOSPHERE Voted Best Fine Dining V o o t e d B e s t F i n e D i n i n g Colleg W ve Av . College & Cato carnegieinnandspa.com | 814.234.2424 Corner of C Corner of Cricklewood Dr. and Toftrees Ave. carnegieinnandspa.com | 814.234.2424 . College & Cato W. College & Cato 814.861.3463 gigisdining.com RN RN ABLE ABLE TA T ve Av . College & Cato 814.861.3463 gigisdining.com

• Cover