Blue-White 2015: Game Preview

It's blue versus white in lovely Beaver Stadium, with a game sandwiched amidst all sorts of other fun (?) activities.

Kickoff: 4 pm, Saturday, April 18. Gates open at 2:30, with A & B opening at 1 pm for the annual pre-game player autograph session.

TV: Big Ten Network--Scott Graham (play-by-play), Matt McGloin (analyst), Brian Tripp (sideline)

Weather: According to accuweather, it's going to be a high of 71, sunny, "nice and warm". So we've got that going for us.

Admission: Free, as always. If you haven't already, download your free parking pass from the official website in advance.

In case you missed it, all of BSD's Blue-White coverage can be found in one fun spot.

Position Previews:

There's always the temptation to take too much away from spring football games. In years past, heroes of the spring game have gotten our hearts racing and our hopes sky-high, only to see their playing days severely limited if not downright numbered come fall, when they were surpassed on the depth chart by returning starters or incoming freshmen.

Unlike last year when he was new to the program, James Franklin knows what he has in most positions. Because Penn State was one of the youngest teams in the FBS division last season, and there's been only limited attrition this off-season, the majority of last year's starters return--with a lot of experience, and not a lot to prove. Even in some positions where the starters are gone, like running back, the choice of starter in 2015 come fall is so clear that it's not a real competition--so the number of snaps the likes of Akeel Lynch (and, the most obvious example, Christian Hackenberg) will see will be minimal. The staff will put the big guns out there just enough to whet the fans' appetites, to get the members of the two-deep some time with the entrenched starters in the closest thing to a game situation they'll face before going to Philly, and then they'll be pulled for the backups. And that isn't a bad thing.

Above all else, the Blue/White game is a game for the depth players. The weekend is a weekend for the Penn State family; the game is a game for the two- and three-deep.

We'll see guys who aren't expected to make a big impact take it to the house multiple times, like Cole Chiappialle did, calling for many to see a running back competition even fiercer than the one that was there. We'll see guys like Devin Pryor making huge plays, and never hear their names again--until senior day, when we cheer for them as we recognize their accomplishments in making it through the program.

This may be a game day where the coaching staff decides who should be the second or third or fourth guy in at any position--but the odds are, those decisions that haven't already been made will be made at the middle or the end of fall camp. The spring scrimmage is mostly for the players who won't see the field in the fall to have their name screamed by their family and friends, and by Beaver Stadium announcer Dean DeVore.

This year, we'll take away as much as we can from spring football in Beaver Stadium--and it will likely be more than we should. And for some of the players who will play the bulk of the time this Saturday, that'll have to be enough.