Penn State is set to take the field on Saturday afternoon for the first Blue White game since 2019 on what is expected to be a beautiful day in State College. The Blue White events will only end up being partially a scrimmage, so don’t expect to leave Beaver Stadium having all the answers, but certainly more than a few players will look to make a good first impression. Here are five things to keep an eye on Saturday.
Allar: This is the main event, no matter how Penn State goes about running its practice/scrimmage on Saturday, people wanna see Drew Allar throw the ball. It will be interesting to see how Allar performs against expectations. The kid can sling it, but how he’s doing with all the rest of it remains to be seen. A good performance won’t help matters any for Sean Clifford supporters, a freshman-like performance could go a long way towards justifying – in the public eye – a fourth year of Clifford. Nothing will be decided on Saturday, but the narrative could certainly take a turn.
Secondary: Penn State’s secondary and coverage units will undergo a bit of a facelift this year without the services of Tariq Castro-Fields or Jaquan Brisker for the first time in a long time. Ji’Ayir Brown will anchor things at safety and Joey Porter Jr looks to make a return appearance at corner, but the rest is a bit up in the air. That doesn’t mean this group is nothing but question marks, but after a 2021-22 season that boasted one of the program’s best coverage units, change is certainly coming in 2022-23. Keep an eye on Zakee Wheatley, a buzz creator this spring at safety.
There’s A Line, Right?: Penn State’s offensive line is a bit in flux and more than a bit shallow this spring which means we might not get a real good idea of what this group is capable of until the fall. Landon Tengwall is the obvious rising star of the bunch but after that it’s a bit of guesswork in terms of who is or isn’t going to live up to their potential. It’s hard to know how good of a look fans will get of this group on Saturday, but the offensive line is certainly a story – again.
Big Money Mitch: Incoming transfer receiver Mitchell Tinsley has lived up to the hype in practice and will have a chance to do the same on Saturday for fans. Expect a few deep shots down the field and don’t get confused by the fact he’s wearing No. 5. That’s no Jahan Dotson but certainly a guy looking to fill Dotson’s shoes in 2022. Tinsley might be right behind Allar when it comes to most interesting new faces to watch.
Anything Special?: A new special teams coach might not really mean much for Penn State but a new kicker and new punter certainly adds some drama to this unit. Jake Pinegar seems poised to finally take over field goal duties but kicking and punting are still a bit up in the air. Penn State has been spoiled in the kicking game the last five years or so and will look to continue that trend in 2022. Nobody wants to go back to the early Franklin years when punting was Russian Roulette of results. No reason to think that it will, but Saturday will be a big first impression for this group.
Penn State Football Blue-White Game | Saturday, April 23
Kickoff: 2 p.m.; Gates A & B open at 12:30 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network
Parking: Lots open at 9 a.m. All parking passes will be mobile. Passes were added to accounts for 2022 season parking pass holders. Regular vehicle parking passes can be purchased online or day of for $20. Parking is general admission in select lots. Normal game day traffic patterns are not in effect.
Boardwalk Fan Fest: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Curtin Road in front of Beaver Stadium
