Blue-White Game Balls: Who stood out on each side of the ball for Penn State?
Penn State football’s 15 spring practices are in the books.
Concluding the window with a Blue-White Game that took the form of a scrimmage-practice hybrid, the Nittany Lions took the unorthodox route.
As the defense secured a 17-13 win over the offense, there were standout performances on offense, defense and special teams to highlight.
Let’s get into them as we hand out our game balls.
Defense: Penn State LB Dominic DeLuca
If there was a spring game most valuable player award, Dominic DeLuca would claim it.
A redshirt freshman walk-on out of Wyoming Area, DeLuca made life difficult on Penn State’s young quarterbacks all afternoon.
His most impactful play came via an interception of Drew Allar. DeLuca made the play on the ball, then showcased some athleticism in returning the pick 39 yards.
He contributed one of the defense’s three sacks on the day, too.
The defense turned in a solid day overall — allowing the offense to reach the end zone just once during official action.
Still, DeLuca injected the king of big-play dynamism that the Nittany Lions crave from their defensive unit.
As safety Ji’Ayir Brown explained after the game: Penn State’s defense wants to be the aggressor. The Nittany Lions aren’t content to simply make stops. They want to generate big plays of their own.
The most valuable currency in defensive football comes in the form of takeaways. And DeLuca came to collect.
Offense: PSU WR Harrison Wallace III
There wasn’t too much to celebrate for the Nittany Lions on the offensive end of things.
The most impressive play of the day on either side of the ball was made by Harrison Wallace III in the corner of the south end zone.
Christian Veilleux threw what amounted to a jump ball to Wallace near the sideline. Contorting his body to stay in bounds, Wallace beat defensive back Johnny Dixon in the air to make the play on the ball.
In contemporary parlance, you might say Wallace “Mossed” Dixon.
It took place during a seven-on-seven period that didn’t count in the official stats or impact the final score. Still, the athleticism showcased by Wallace was impressive, and worthy of representing the offense as we hand out our game balls.
Special Teams: K Sander Sahaydak
Sander Sahaydak — a second-year southpaw kicker — connected on the only official field-goal attempt of the day for Penn State.
His 47-yarder split the uprights cleanly, helping the offense stay within striking distance of its defensive counterpart.
Sahaydak was perfect during unofficial kicking action between drives, too. He connected on a 49-yarder that proved a step too far for his counterpart, Jake Pinegar.
The Nittany Lions need improvement in the kicking game after experiencing some inconsistency on field goals last fall. Pinegar is the veteran in that department, but Sahaydak looked good on Saturday.
