Blue White Illustrated

B L U E - W H I T E G A M E P R E V I E W to wait until August. Said Franklin, "We've got to get everybody here, and we've got to get everybody competing." The wide receiver corps suffered a temporary blow when Juwan Johnson suffered an unspecified injury. It's un- clear whether he will take part in the Blue-White Game. Even if he doesn't, there's a lot to look forward to on Satur- day, as Hamler and fellow freshman Mac Hippenhammer have reportedly looked good this spring. OFFENSIVE LINE NEWS The Lions have been working to assemble an orderly two-deep from a talent pool that should be a lot deeper this fall now that up-and-comers like C.J. Thorpe, Mike Miranda and Des Holmes are coming off their redshirt years. FRANKLIN SAYS "[This is] probably the strongest offensive line since we've been here." ANALYSIS No news is good news, right? The Nittany Lions don't appear to have overhauled their offensive front this spring, and really, why would they? They wrapped up their 2017 season by rushing for 203 yards against Washing- ton, which had gone into the game sporting the No. 1 run defense in the country. The starting five in the Fiesta Bowl consisted of Will Fries and Chasz Wright at tackle, Steven Gonzalez and Brendan Mahon at guard and Connor McGovern at center. Even with Mahon departing, the Lions could assemble a first-team unit that consists entirely of players with nine or more games of starting experience. But that would re- quire Ryan Bates to move from tackle to guard, where he began his career in 2016. There's been no talk of Bates slid- ing inside (although he did practice at left tackle in addition to right), so it's probably fair to assume that the Lions like what they've got with Menet and Thorpe at right guard. DEFENSIVE LINE NEWS Kevin Givens and Robert Windsor appear to have made a good case to be the starting defensive tack- les this fall. At defensive end, Ryan Buchholz has shed weight and doesn't seem to be a contender for playing time at the three-technique DT spot, except in third-and-long situations. FRANKLIN SAYS "We're excited about what [Givens and Windsor] are able to bring to the table. The guys after them, it's excitement based on potential. They haven't played enough." ANALYSIS The Lions need to get the interior of their defensive line solidified as quickly as possible. Their second game of the upcoming season is against Pitt, which will surely attempt to con- trol the line of scrimmage as it did two years ago. Their fifth game is against Ohio State. Enough said. Franklin has hailed Antonio Shelton, Ellison Jordan and Damion Barber as potential contributors, and the Lions GREAT SCOTT Scott returns a fumble for a TD against Indiana last year. The senior is in line to start at safety this coming sea- son. Photo by Bill Anderson

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