Highs & Lows: Lions fight through blustery conditions
By Nate Bauer
Penn State football battled a windy afternoon at Beaver Stadium for its annual Blue-White Game scrimmage on Saturday afternoon. A look at the highs and lows from the Nittany Lions, here:
Penn State Blue-White Game highs and lows
PLAYER OF THE GAME If there is ever a time for the under-recognized contributors within a program to get some shine, it’s during the Blue-White Game. And on Saturday afternoon, that honor undoubtedly belongs to Kolin Dinkins. The walk-on redshirt sophomore cornerback, brother to Khalil, finished the scrimmage with four solo tackles, including a sack, and would have enjoyed a pick-six were it not for a sack called in the fourth quarter.
PLAY OF THE GAME Needing desperately to string some plays together in the fourth quarter, the Blue side made a critical mistake. Throwing into traffic in the middle of the field on first-and-10, down 13-0, early enrollee quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer put the football in peril. taking advantage of the opportunity, defensive end Amin Vanover secured a diving interception off the bobbled ball to return possession to the White team in the fringe red zone.
Offensive superlatives
BEST PASS Owning a 20-0 advantage with time ticking away late in the fourth quarter, Drew Allar found the soft spot in the cover two defense to hit Harrison Trey Wallace for a 20-yard pickup along the right sideline.
WORST PASS A bad pass from Beau Pribula to the sideline ended in disaster for the Blue side late in the first quarter. Appearing to suffer a missed communication, Pribula’s pass floated down the field and into the hands of a streaking Zakee Wheatley, who completed the interception.
BEST RUN Quinton Martin pieced together two nice carries on the White squad’s first touchdown possession of the afternoon, which he scored. First taking a second-and-15 carry to his left for an 8-yard pickup, the early enrollee returned to cash in on the follow-up to Trey Wallace’s catch in the red zone. This time going for 9-yards, again to the left, Martin went into the end zone untouched to give his side a 7-0 lead. Martin cashed in with a second touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to boost his game total to two TDs.
BEST CATCH Late in the first half, the White team went into its two-minute offense to attempt to squeeze late points out of a final opportunity with the ball. Early in the drive, Allar connected with Wallace, who made a nice reception above his left shoulder, behind him, for a 13-yard pickup and a first down.
WORST DROP Needing a fourth-down pickup in the fringe red zone late in the first quarter, the White squad drew up a perfect play. Allar spotted Kaden Saunders in space in the middle of the field, but the slot receiver couldn’t quite reel it in. The play meant a turnover on downs.
Defensive standouts
BEST SACK Staring down a play-action attempt late in the first half, Pribula was toast. Dinkins, streaking from the back side, got to Pribula for the touch-off just before the pass could be made, resulting in an 8-yard loss for the Blue team.
BEST HIT Technically, Jameial Lyons didn’t hit Allar on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. But, he definitely would have it he’d been permitted to touch the quarterback, who was mid-throw when the defensive end flew in from behind.
BEST DECISION Sticking with it proved fruitful in circumstances that otherwise might have prompted relative disinterest. In the final minute of the game’s action, the White side comfortably ahead, 20-0, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki drew up a beauty of a pass-and-catch from Allar to tight end Andrew Rappleyea for a 30-yard touchdown.
WORST DECISION Penn State fans have been waiting to see a receiver catch a deep pass for months on end. Early enrollee cornerback Antoine Belgrave-Shorter ruined that opportunity when he hopped atop Wallace’s back on a long bomb from Allar late in the third quarter. The clear pass interference drew a flag, setting the White team up with a first down.
Wrapping up
BEST EFFORT Signs of life at receiver? Firing across the field to Wallace, the Nittany Lion receiver made a corner miss, pushing upfield to pick up 18 yards and a first down. On the next play, the White squad cashed in with a 9-yard Martin touchdown carry.
BEST KICK Riley Thompson, the Penn State Coaches’ Special Teams honoree of the spring, blasted a perfectly placed 44-yard punt down to the Blue side’s 2-yard line late in the first half. Dealing with the wind at his back, the attempt pinned the Blue team deep with little room to work as the clock dwindled toward halftime.
MOST TELLING MOMENT The broadcast on Saturday afternoon likely created the effect of a beautiful afternoon in Happy Valley. But, while the sun was shining brightly on Beaver Stadium for much of the day’s proceedings, a persistent, whipping wind created challenging conditions throughout.
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