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That's what happened in the first half of the season. Penn State had four re- ceivers with 20 or more catches, a group led by Barkley with 29 for 395 yards and two touchdowns, including an 85-yarder against Georgia State. Juwan Johnson was next with 24 catches for 303 yards and one TD. Dae- Sean Hamilton and Mike Gesicki both had 22 receptions, with Hamilton total- ing 366 yards and four TDs, and Gesicki 176 yards and one score. Then there was DeAndre Thompkins with 16 receptions for 190 yards and Blacknall with nine for 162. Barkley is the receiver who can make players miss. Thompkins is the receiver who can blow the top o7 of the cover- age. Johnson and Blacknall are big, physical receivers who create mis- matches and are capable of stretching the 5eld. Hamilton and Brandon Polk are possession receivers who excel in the red zone and run precise routes. And Stevens has also shown that he can be a threat when Penn State gets close to the end zone. I believe Penn State's wide receiver group is the best in the Big Ten and one of the best in the country. Franklin found the perfect way to 5ll Godwin's shoes. DEFENSIVE END Last season, Sickels and Schwan were the big-play special- ists on Penn State's front four, combin- ing for 12 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. The Nittany Lions led the country with 113 tackles for loss and were second in the Big Ten in sacks with 40. If Penn State was going to come close to matching those numbers in 2017, a couple of young players were going to have to step to the forefront to replace Sickels and Schwan. A8er six games, it was looking as though Penn State had found those players: Shareef Miller and redshirt freshman weakside defensive end Shaka Toney. As of early October, Miller appeared to be on the verge of a breakout season. In the 5rst six games, he registered 20 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks. Toney, meanwhile, didn't start any of Penn State's 5rst six games, but he played in all of them, primarily in third- down passing situations, and totaled 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Two of those sacks came in the game at North- western. At 6-foot-3, 233 pounds, Toney ap- peared to some observers to lack the size to play the weakside defensive end posi- tion at Penn State. Coming out of high school, there was speculation that he would eventually move to outside line- backer. But Franklin didn't see his size as an impediment. "I remember walking into spring ball and telling our coaches, 'Change your mindset. Don't allow the fact that this guy's not this or that [to in6uence you].' You say, 'Well, he can't play be- cause of this…' Watch the tape and watch how he's straining in the run game now more than he ever has," Franklin said. "Watch him in the pass game. He's on his third step before the o7en- sive tackle is taking his 5rst." That analysis was spot on. Toney got his career o7 to a very good start, and it ap- pears he has the potential to become more than a situational player. Said SOPHOMORE SURGE Stevens, shown here handing off to Mark Allen, has been a threat both as a quar- terback and as a receiver in the red zone. Photo by Steve Manuel

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