Blue-White game viewed by 71,000 fans
Penn State held its annual Blue-White spring game Saturday and an announced crowd of 71,000 fans showed up.
The attendance was fourth biggest among all programs.
Beautiful weather and a festive atmosphere ruled the day, but fans were also able to see a sprinkle of current stars in action, like Trace McSorley, as well as a slew of young and unproven players looking for their chance to impress James Franklin and his coaches.
Franklin and his recruiting staff have been recruiting athletes and working on the depth needed to be a consensus challenger for the Big Ten title and a playoff berth, and something that stood out to me was the depth has improved drastically.
Spring practices were said to be spirited with competition and while there wasn鈥檛 a whole shown in terms of formations or schemes Saturday, the collective speed of the team is evident.
Chris Knapp of Pottsville is considered a longtime Penn State expert on all sports, and he shared his thoughts of the game, which pitted the first and second teams on the Blue team, and the White team, which consisted of the remaining players.
鈥淚 was really impressed with the white team蘑菇视频 defense,鈥� he said making note of the depth reaching three and four deep at each position. 鈥淭hey hit hard and swarmed to the ball.鈥�
A highlight for many was actor Keegan Michael Key, who looks eerily like Franklin蘑菇视频 doppelganger, portraying the coach throughout the day and even during the scrimmage.
However, the highlight of the day was when 25-year old Brooke Fisher, a Bald Eagle native who has Down syndrome, entered the game and ran 22 yards for a touchdown.
鈥淭hat was the highlight of the day for me,鈥� said Knapp. 鈥淐oach Franklin escorted her out to the offensive huddle where she took charge,鈥� Knapp said after the game with a giant smile. 鈥淭race took her to the line where she got the ball and ran around the end for a touchdown.
鈥淭he stadium went nuts and there were definitely some happy tears shed!鈥�
After two consecutive 11-win seasons, a 22-5 record over those two years and the team being 10 points from being 26-1 the last two years, expectations are high again for the upcoming season.
鈥淚t could be an exciting year to come,鈥� Knapp said. 鈥淭here is a tough home schedule but it should be fun.鈥�
The valley appears to be getting back to being happy, and the Penn State faithful are happy with where things are headed.
Another Pitt hire
The last two weeks, we looked at Jeff Capel being hired as the new men蘑菇视频 basketball coach at the University of Pittsburgh.
Last week, Lance White was hired to take over the women蘑菇视频 program.
White spent the last 15 years at Florida State as an assistant coach and helped lead the Seminoles to a 350-145 (.707) record, including 20 or more wins 12 times during that stretch.
鈥淭he University of Pittsburgh has a storied history of athletic prowess and I am excited to build on that tradition,鈥� White said at his initial press conference last Wednesday. 鈥淚 am honored to be the head coach of the Pitt women蘑菇视频 basketball program 鈥� I look forward to working with the team, building relationships within the community and crafting a culture of success.鈥�
Since White蘑菇视频 arrival at FSU, 10 players were selected in the WNBA Draft, 37 earned all-conference awards and eight earned ACC All-Defensive team honors.
He helped the team make 13 NCAA tournament appearances in the last 14 years and was named the Women蘑菇视频 Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) National Assistant Coach of the Year.
Promoted to associate head coach at FSU prior to the 2012-13 season, White went to Tallahassee from Texas Tech, where he had spent 11 seasons.
White is the ninth head coach in Pitt women蘑菇视频 basketball history, and takes over a team that went 10-20 overall this past season, and 2-14 in ACC play.
Know a local athlete or coach in college?
蘑菇视频 Bill at powerhousehughes@gmail.com or on Twitter at @BillHughes_III with the information!