Penn State football announces start time, TV details for 2022 Blue-White game
Penn State has released a start time and television information for the 2022 Blue-White game.
The program’s almost annual open scrimmage to end spring practice will start at 2 p.m. ET on April 23. Big Ten Network will televise the event live. It will also be broadcast on the Penn State Sports Network.
This will be the first Blue-White game since 2019. The Nittany Lions did not hold spring practice in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Then, in 2021, it held a pair of practices that were open to an invite-only crowd in addition to 13 closed ones.
Prior to the pandemic, Penn State often hosted more than 50,000 fans for the spring game at Beaver Stadium. A crowd of that size, or bigger, should be expected this year.
“In 2019, an estimated 61,000 fans were in attendance,” a Penn State news release said.
“The Blue-White Game has drawn more than 50,000 fans in nine of the past 11 years where there was no capacity limitation due to COVID-19, which included crowds of 70,000 or more in four of the last six years.”
What will admission, parking fees be?
Penn State does not charge an admission fee for the Blue-White game.
Some spectators will have to pay for parking, however.
“Mobile parking will be sent to 2022 season parking pass holders who renew or place a deposit by February 18,” a Penn State news release says.
“All other parking will be 20 dollars via presale or on the day of the event.”
Lots will open at 9 a.m. ET on the day of the game. Penn State says that additional information regarding parking and other Blue-White weekend activities will be announced at a later date.
When does spring practice start?
BWI’s Nate Bauer reported last week that the Lions will start spring practice on Mon., March 21.
College football teams are allowed to hold drills 15 times over a 34-day period. That includes 20 hours of team activities per week.
Head coach James Franklin will preside over his ninth spring practice in State College this March and April. The timing of this year’s Blue-White game is a bit later than it has been in other years. Usually, drills wrap up right around the time coaches are allowed to hit the road recruiting during an NCAA evaluation period. However, that begins on April 15 this year.
It means Franklin and his staff will mix recruiting travel and practice days during the first full week of the former and final stretch of the latter.
Penn State season ticket sales update
According to the news release referenced above, 2,200 new season tickets have already been sold ahead of the 2022 season. It starts on Sept. 1, 2022 at Purdue. The Lions will then hold their home opener on Sept. 10 opposite Ohio. Neither game has a kick time or television station assigned to it yet.
