Blue-White Game a chance for newcomers to rise to occasion
Apr. 15—It's back, and for Keaton Ellis, it has been a long time coming.
Now a senior safety looking to solidify his role as a starter and leader in Penn State's secondary, Ellis has played in 43 games for the Nittany Lions. However, his first foray out of the Beaver Stadium tunnel is somewhat lost to history. After all, plenty of big moments there have been had, big moment after big moment has been waged, since he was a first-semester early enrollee playing in the last true Blue-White Game the program held four years ago.
On Saturday, after years battling a pandemic and program deficiencies that made it more a public practice than a true scrimmage, the Blue-White Game is expected to return to its normal game-like format when the annual Happy Valley rite of spring kicks off at 2 p.m. from Beaver Stadium.
The game hasn't been played in its traditional manner since Ellis' on-field debut in 2019. The pandemic canceled it altogether in 2020 and relegated it to merely to a series of situational practice sessions held in front of close family and the media in 2021. Last year's game was altered, as well, because of a lack of available offensive linemen.
The result of the Blue-White Game has never mattered much, but getting back to a game-like format is an important step for many in the program since spring practice started last month.
"It's a spring game for a reason," Ellis surmised. "It's not a spring practice.
"I think the competitive side of it, for us, really heightens everybody's game."
Traditionally, Penn State's second- and third-team players line up against starters, which head coach James Franklin hopes will ultimately help several position battles that have waged on since the start of camp.
Namely, the battle to enter the summer as the No. 3 wideout behind returning starter KeAndre Lambert-Smith and emerging sophomore Harrison Wallace III is one that has captured Franklin's attention. Transfer portal addition Malik McClain, sophomores Omari Evans and Liam Clifford, and freshman Kaden Saunders are among those battling for the role that Franklin said is still up in the air heading into Saturday.
Penn State is also breaking in a new center, senior Hunter Nourzad, on a rejuvenated offensive line, and there is work to be done on defense replacing longtime standouts PJ Mustipher and Ji'Ayir Brown at defensive tackle and safety, respectively. A few other transfer portal additions — former All-ACC cornerback Storm Duck, kicker Alex Felkins and punter Riley Thompson — will also see their first action at Beaver Stadium. So will 11 members of the program's respected 2023 recruiting class.
So for Franklin, there's value in evaluating all of that in a game-like setting, in front of a large crowd that has, in good weather, topped 70,000 fans in years past.
"We're one of the unique places, we're going to have more people at our spring game than most people have for a regular game in the fall," Franklin said. "So whenever we can create a spring game atmosphere, we want to do that for the fans. But I also think there's value for me in seeing the guys play under the lights, technically ... and in front of the fans and with the media there and with everybody's eyes on them and watching.
"Some guys rise to that occasion and some guys feel the pressure and anxiety from that. So figuring that out, there's value in that."
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