Blue White Illustrated

It was a 21-10 victory for the Blue team over White in Penn State's annual spring scrimmage Saturday, but as is often the case, the score tells little of the story. So what's the news to come from this year's Blue-White Game? Let's take a look. QB McSorley required to play most of first half It wasn't necessarily a chosen scenario, but they ran with it anyway. Playing most of the first half, starting quarterback Trace McSorley led the Blue team with 41 rushing yards while completing 10 of 14 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. Had it not been for a couple of injuries to play- ers behind him, however, the rising senior likely wouldn't have played much, if at all. With backup Tommy Stevens in a boot for most of the spring, head coach James Franklin revealed in his postgame press conference that Sean Clifford likewise had battled a minor in- jury recently. Clifford toughed it out – he completed 4 of 8 passes for 58 yards and one TD – but he didn't play nearly as much as he otherwise would have. Said Franklin, "If Clifford hadn't tweaked his hamstring, you would have seen very lit- tle of Trace." Instead, they opted to go with the first- stringer in order to smoothly operate the offense and ensure that the 10 others players on the field got sufficient reps within the offense. "Having Trace in there helps with that," Franklin said. "Our guys do a really good job of understanding how to practice and stay away from our quarterbacks." That allowed McSorley to find the groove that he left behind in the Fiesta Bowl in January, and it was a welcome sight when he found freshman Mac Hip- penhammer for a touchdown on the game's first possession. "It was awesome to get back into the end zone, to get that feeling again," McSorley said. "It was a huge confidence booster for him getting open and getting a touchdown. As a young guy, getting a first taste of a touchdown is big." Now running with starters, OG Menet among team's most improved What was once a battle for the starting spot at right guard is gradually being set- tled, as redshirt sophomore Micahl Menet locks down the position. He played every snap with the first team on Saturday, helping lead the Blue squad to 113 yards rushing with one touchdown. Afterward, Franklin de- scribed Menet as "probably one of the more improved players in our program from the end of the season until now." For Menet, who has battled nagging in- juries since arriving on campus two sum- mers ago, it's a welcome development. "I think it's awesome for me to see everything coming together," he said. "I think a big part of that is there's such competition in our group right now. I think that pushes everyone every day and I think that's where it has brought me to where I am, as far as my technique, because I know have to bring my best every day. It feels good to be that guy right now who is part of the starting five." Menet is not limited solely to the right guard spot, however, and that, Franklin added, is what makes him a valuable contributor to Penn State's offensive line. Now that he's proven his durability, Menet has shown he can handle a variety of roles. "He has the ability to play all three in- side positions, left and right guard as well as center," Franklin said. "We think he may have a really bright future at the center position with his quickness. He creates flexibility." Heading into the spring, redshirt soph- A P R I L 2 1 , 2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 6 BLUE-WHITE TAKEAWAYS Assessing the major developments on view in the Lions' spring practice finale T I M   O W E N   | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . c O M Reid and Johnson collect their spring practice awards from athletic direc- tor Sandy Barbour. The two players were honored for their commitment to the program throughout the off- season, but both missed the spring game for health reasons. Photo by Patrick Mansell

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