A spring scrimmage is the perfect thing to overreact to, so here are five observations you should take only somewhat seriously.
Good Introduction: True freshman linebacker Tony Rojas was a name that had generated plenty of buzz this spring and he lived up to the billing on Saturday with a game-high nine tackles, six of them solo. He also broke up one pass and had a half tackle for a loss. The Blue-White game isn’t always the best way to gauge someone based on their numbers given how little some players see the field [standout linebacker Abdul Carter had one tackle all day] but Rojas certainly showcased some exciting athleticism and ability. Kevin Winston Jr also had a solid afternoon as he enters his sophomore season at safety. On the offensive side of the ball Kaden Saunders pulled down four catches for 57 yards while Cristian Driver and Anthony Ivey did good things in the receiving game as well. Omari Evans’ five catches for 80-yards was the days real bright spot among relatively new faces.
Coverage: Spring scrimmages are never really intended to open the playbook wide nor are they intended to wow the playoff selection committee, so when you say that Penn State’s coverage units looked good there some grain of salt that comes with this. That being said, Penn State’s coverage units didn’t get blown out of the water either. The Nittany Lions will miss Ji’Ayir Brown and Joey Porter Jr but this group looks plenty capable without them. Time will tell how things really unfold when an offense is really truly trying to score, but it wasn’t a bad first impression either. Check back in about six or seven months when Kalen King is getting the same kind of draft talk that Porter Jr did. All told Penn State broke up seven passes, a solid number for a unit that led the nation in that category last season.
Smooth With It: Everyone will find out this season if Omari Evans is Penn State’s third receiver [or who knows, even better] but Evans certainly looked the part of the competent third option on Saturday. Evans caught passes with relative ease and had a smoothness about his game that was a reminder of a young Jahan Dotson. Evans has a long way to go to match Dotson’s skill and reliability but he was getting open on a day not many people were. The speedster is likely to have some big plays this season with his track abilities and quickness, but if he can pair that with being an every-down option, Penn State will have something a bit more like KJ Hamler.
Next Step: Dani Dennis-Sutton and Abdul Carter both look like players ready to take that next step into superstardom. James Franklin called Dennis-Sutton ‘unblockable’ on Saturday at defensive end and Carter is simply bigger, older and wiser at linebacker than he was a year ago. Dennis-Sutton ended the afternoon with two tackles for a loss in a fairly brief afternoon of work. Neither had to deal with Olu Fashanu on the offensive line who didn’t play on Sunday, but both look the part even more than before. Penn State’s defense is already giving off elite vibes and those two will have as much to do with it as anybody.
Not That Special: The Blue-White game doesn’t include any aspect of a return game but punting against absolutely nobody the punting game looked far from threatening and kickoffs were “acceptable” at best. Alex Bacchetta averaged 33.4 yards per punt with a long of 38 on five attempts. Mitchell Groh punted just once for 38 and Riley Thompson boomed a 62-yarder. Penn State has won and controlled plenty of games the last decade on the legs of good punters and positive field position, it might not matter in the early going, but the Nittany Lions don’t need bad punts flipping the field against a team like Ohio State or Michigan. There’s time to sort this out, but a sub 40-yard average won’t cut it. Credit to Alex Felkins for making a 22-yarder, can’t knock a guy for doing his job the only time he’s asked to.
