Penn State Football: 2018 Blue-White Game prediction roundtable

Penn State football is gearing up for the annual Blue-White Game Saturday. Find out what the VBR thinks will happen.

Saturday marks the culmination of Penn State’s 2018 spring practice session. After 14 practices, head coach James Franklin and his Nittany Lions will put on the annual spring scrimmage. It’s of course not a real game, and the intensity isn’t near what it is during the season, but it’s still a simulated game and the first chance to get a glimpse at the new team.

There are always surprises during the game. Players who are solid in their starting roles may not see a lot of action, meaning that young players or lesser-known guys have the opportunity to step up and make an impact.

Many interesting storylines are present heading into this game. Most notably: how will things shake out at middle linebacker, how will the new starting safeties look, and who will handle the kicking duties.

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There are a lot of questions heading into Saturday, buy many could be answered by the end of the game.

The following predictions are a bit different from our season roundtables. We won’t be picking a winner, or a score, but rather just giving thoughts on how things could play out.

Co-Site Expert Barry Leonard

Finally, after a long winter (that’s still going on in some parts), it’s time for some real football. Okay, so it’s just a scrimmage, but it will be in Beaver Stadium, a big crowd will be on hand, and there will be the look of a real game.

I fully expect the Blue — made up of mostly starters or those close to a starting position — to win big. I’m expecting some big numbers to be put up. I don’t think we’ll see much of guys likes Trace McSorley or Miles Sanders on offense. That means that quarterback Sean Clifford and backup running back Mark Allen could both play big roles.

Like on offense, the Blue should dominate the White. I’m particularly excited, like everyone else, to see Micah Parsons. The true freshman is an absolute beast and could have himself a great career at middle linebacker. He won’t win the job during the spring game, but a big performance could certainly help his chances.

One thing that I’m also going to be watching for is the kicking game. Of course, Blake Gillikin is locked in as the punter, but the kicker job, due to the graduation of Tyler Davis, is wide open.

It’s hard to get too excited about a scrimmage, but there are certainly several things I’m looking forward to seeing, particularly the younger players. Don’t be surprised if some of the new Nittany Lions put up come very impressive numbers on Saturday.

Contributor Dylan Burd

Blue-White weekend is here, which is always a good feeling as it signifies approximately four months until the season begins. One thing to look out for during this game is the tight end battle. Obviously, Mike Gesicki graduated and is going to the NFL, which leaves the position up for grabs. There are two players likely competing for the starting tight end: Jonathan Holland and Zack Kuntz. Holland will be a junior in the 2018 season, whereas Kuntz is currently an early-enrollee. Kuntz, the six-foot-seven, 201-pound tight end, is the 4th ranked in his position in the 2018 recruiting class; per 247sports.com.

On the defensive side of the ball, all eyes are on Micah Parsons. Parsons is the fifth ranked recruit in the 2018 recruiting class; per 247sports.com. Parsons, an early-enrollee, is an athletic freak who will play outside linebacker at Penn State. Penn State is extremely thin at linebacker after Jason Cabinda graduated and Manny Bowen was dismissed from the team, so expect Parsons to see tons of playing time in 2018.

While the Blue-White game is just a scrimmage, it is always interesting to see which players have the early edge in the positional battles. We’ll find that out on Saturday!

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