April 17, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions will wrap up spring drills on Saturday afternoon at the annual Blue-White Game Presented by AAA inside Beaver Stadium, marking the culmination of a productive spring practice season. The game will kick at 4 p.m. with live television coverage from BTN.
Penn State made significant progress on both sides of the ball and on special teams during the allotted practice period for spring drills. Saturday's game marks the final opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate the team before the start of training camp in early August.
"We've had a great spring. The fact that we returned our entire staff was really valuable," head coach James Franklin said. "I think we are the only staff in the Big Ten that did that. I think that has been helpful in building on the foundation we laid last year."
In year two under Franklin and the coaching staff, the Nittany Lions have been productive every time they have stepped on the field since practice began on March 20. With increased knowledge of the schemes, practice routine and more depth, the Nittany Lions have been able to do more this spring than they did one year ago.
"It's night and day (between this year and last year)," said Franklin. "...We have more depth. We have more bodies. Just across the board, the players understand the expectation. I think we are in a situation now where we have everybody on the same page. It's not even close. Our practices have been able to be more a little bit more aggressive and a little bit more physical because of the depth that we have. Just across the board, from top to bottom, it's like watching a different team.
The Blue-White Game is a terrific opportunity to mimic a typical gameday routine for the Nittany Lions. While Saturday's game will be a fun way for the team to put on a show for the fans, it's a chance to work through typical game-like conditions.
"I think it's a great opportunity for us to get out in front of a crowd," Hackenberg said. "It's a great weekend for the fans because there is so much going on. It's a little bit of a show, but at the same time it's work. A lot of these guys have never really had reps in front of fans at this level. It's a great opportunity to go out, have fun and immerse yourself in what a gameday feel is."
The work is just beginning for the Nittany Lions, but the spring period set the tone for the rest of the academic semester and summer conditioning program. Franklin is very optimistic about the direction the team is headed in, and he is looking forward to getting in front of the Beaver Stadium crowd.
"Spring has gone really well in all three phases," said Franklin. "We still have a lot of work to do. We still have a lot of progress that we are going to need to make between now and the start of the season against Temple at Lincoln Financial Field. We are excited. We are excited about playing the spring game. We are hoping to have a good crowd. The weather is supposed to be great."
Take a look through some Blue-White items to watch as the Nittany Lions wrap up spring practice for 2015.
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