2007 Blue & White Game

The 2007 Penn State Blue White game got underway beneath blue skies and in warm weather in Happy Valley on Saturday. A record 71,000 fans showed up to break their PSU fast and binge at the smörgåsbord of spring football which is the Blue-White game. I, however, was one of the unlucky schmoes who sat at home watching the game on the internet. The best part of watching the game online was being able to listen to Joepa's commentary on the game.

There were many areas which Penn State needed to address and after Saturday's game there are areas of both strength and weakness for the '07 squad. The biggest strength of Penn State is, of course, it's class:
The Students show their support for the Hokies

Receiving:
The receiving corps is the crown jewel of the team and could be the best in the Big Ten this fall. From Williams to Butler and Golden and with young stars Chris Bell, Quarless, and many others this group will be tough to match up against. Chris Bell was the BMOC due to his stellar performance on Saturday. He showed flashes of the big-play ability that made him such a sought-after recruit. He hauled in 4 passes for 116 yds and two TDs! If we could get that kind of effort every week PSU will have a deadly passing game.

Linebackers:
The Linebackers will be fine, anchored by Dan Connor and Sean Lee PSU may have the best linebackers in the country...again.

Offensive line:
The offensive line looked good at times (when the first team was in) and at other times looked absolutely terrible (when anyone other than the first team were in). The offensive line will be the biggest question mark for the lions going into the spring. Especially, because a modern team has to be able to rotate lineman in and out to keep them fresh.

Running Backs:
Austin Scott and Rodney Kinlaw both looked very good. Scott still needs more patience to allow his blocks to develop but he did manage to rack up 53 yds on 13 carries. However, the biggest development, for me anyway, was the emergence of Evan Royster (#22). Joe commented on how he was a "tough kid" and had good leg strength. Royster showed the rare combination of power and speed and could be the future of the Penn State backfield. Royster ran for 45 yds on 9 carries (the best average of any of the backs!).

In short, we got a brief glimpse of what the Lions will look like in the fall. Nobody got hurt (most important of all), and WE GOT TO SEE PSU PLAY AGAIN!

Peep all the stats for yourself here.

GO STATE! GET READY FOR THE FALL!