(Ed: Pictures added April 23, 2008)

Boy does it feel great when the sun comes out in the state of Pennsylvania. 73,000 people sure thought so when they descended upon Happy Valley for a spring scrimmage. 73,000! That’s equivalent to 2 capacity crowds at Fenway Park, and 42,000 more people than the 30,286 that showed up for Notre Dame’s scrimmage.

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With the weather cooperating, we decided to partake in the tailgating festivities where our tailgating neighbors decided it would be a great idea to invite some kids to play a game of dizzybat without the beer. The little boy even managed to whack the ball successfully which is more than I can say for their mom who tumbled head first into a SUV parked adjacent to the festivities. Regrettable, but funny as shit nonetheless.

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We didn’t even think about making our way into the stadium early seeing as this is only the Blue/White game, but when we were standing in line to get in only minutes after the game had started, the entire stadium erupted in a roar. Moments later someone informed us that Stephon Green, the lighting back had turned a simple pitch from Pat Devlin into a 57 yard touchdown run down the sidelines. Can you imagine the possibilities with Green and Royster in the backfield this year? Penn State will finally have a ‘lightning and thunder’ combination that has been sorely lacking in our run-first type offense. Think Clemson, Michigan State, USC, and LSU type of reliable backs. Green’s display of speed single handedly re-energized this fan base for next year.

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By the time we made it up to our seats in the top level of section WA, the entire lower bowl of Beaver Stadium was filled. It was clear we had broken last year’s record crowd of 71,000. Last year, the crowd barely filled up the entire lower level of the stadium. This year, there were no noticeable empty sections in the lower section. The PA announcer only confirmed it when he announced a new record crowd of 73,000 fans for this year’s Blue and White game in the middle of the third quarter.

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And like I said before, there is no quarterback ‘controversy’. It’s clear who is in the lead between Clark and Devlin. Clark took all his snaps solely with the first team offensive while Devlin switched to the first team only after starting with the second team offense. Clark was 9 of 16 for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns and Devlin was 12 of 18 for 122 yards and 1 score. We all know Clark can run. Texas A&M learned it the hard way in last year’s Alamo Bowl. But for the doubters of his throwing accuracy. Clark’s nice 33-yard strike to Derrick Williams for a TD should help answer his critics.

In 2005, Robinson showed that throwing accuracy does not define a successful team, Morelli confirmed it in 2006 and 2007. And after the last 3 years, I would much rather have an less accurate, but efficient passer like Robinson than a supposed ‘cannon for an arm, cannonball for a brain’ type quarterback like Morelli.

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The quarterback situation isn’t so much a ‘controversy’ as it is a ‘competition’. Come Coastal Carolina in the fall, Clark will be the man under center. The question should be whether Devlin will be beside him in Jay Pa’s new HD offense.

On the topic of the new HD offense, nothing went on Saturday that indicated an overhaul of Penn State’s offensive strategies. Maybe we are saving it for the fall, or maybe it was a bluff on our end in a desperate attempt to land Terrelle Pryor. But we will just have to wait and see.

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Spring games mean relatively little. First team players rarely go all out every play of the game and if they do, they definitely wouldn’t want to risk injury with a hard tackle. But this year’s Blue and White game meant more than year’s past. In an off season full of disappointing news ranging from players’ arrests to Sean Lee’s injury, the Lion faithful needed a break, a celebration of what Penn State football was really about. And 73,000 of us gathered to do exactly that this Saturday.

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What IS important at a spring game is for future recruits to get a glimpse of the fan support here at Penn State. Remember Alabama’s record shattering crowd of 90,000+ last year? It was no coincidence that even with a lackluster record last season, Alabama still landed the top recruiting class this year. Recruits love excitement, the hype and the possibility of exposure. Let’s just put it this way, having 73,000 people show up to watch the final spring practice does not hurt recruiting whatsoever.

Below is a list of possible future recruits that paced the sideline last Saturday:

	Position	Rivals Rank	Holding offer?	Home State
Mark Aridiacono	OL	-	Yes	Pennsylvania
Alex Blake	WR	-	-	Maryland
Scott Drosendahl	QB	-	-	NY
Danzel Manley	OL/DL	-	-	Maryland
Terrence Stephens	DT		-	Maryland
Jason Ankrah	DE	-	-	Maryland
Anthony Young-Wiseman	Ath	-	-	Maryland
Andrew Shoop	QB	-	-	Pennsylvania
Mikel Berry	DL	-	-	Pennsylvania
Dominque Cole	-	-	-	Ohio
DeAndre Harris	-	-	-	Ohio
Trevor Smith	-	-	-	Ohio
Mike Herns	-	-	-	Ohio
Maurice Jones	-	-	-	Ohio
Matt Couch	OL	-	-	Pennsylvania
Tariq Tongue	WR	-	-	New York
Andre Civil	DE	-	-	New York
Kevin Douglas	-	-	-	-
Jake Fagano	-	-	-	-
Christian Zemaitis	-	-	-	New York
Lewis Toler	-	-	-	Delaware
Cameron Thomas	-	-	-	Delaware
Rob Stupar	FB	-	-	Pennsylvania
Brian Fields	RB	-	-	Pennsylvania
J.R. Refice	-	-	-	Pennsylvania
Evangelos Regas	OL	-	-	New Jersey
Brent Caprio	QB	-	-	New Jersey
Anthony Stroffolino	LB	-	-	New Jersey
Arthur Fontaine	TE		-	Mass.
Khalil Wilkes	OL	-	-	New Jersey
Nate Papso	-	-	-	New York
Nate Cadogan	OL/DL	-	-	Ohio
Travis Hawkins	CB	-	Yes	Maryland
Stephen Obeng-Agyapong	-	-	-	New York
Mike Hull	LB	-	-	Pennsylvania
Tavon Austin	RB		Yes	Maryland
Jaleel Clark	WR	-	Yes	Pennsylvania
Jelani Jenkins	LB		Yes	Maryland
Ty Howle	C	-	Committed	N. Carolina
Justin Brown	DE		Yes	Delaware
Jordan Hill	DE	-	-	Pennsylvania
Nick Kindler	OT	-	-	Pennsylvania

One name especially pops out from the list and that is linebacker Jelani Jenkins. Rivals just released their updated top 100 and he jumped from #79 to #10 overall. Ohio State just received a commitment from top linebacker Dorian Bell (another Pennsylvania traitor) this past weekend so landing Jenkins would definitely be a boost.

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Our group left the game right before the fourth quarter not because we wanted to get more tailgating in, but because Paul Cianciolo was on the field which meant we were at the 3rd string quarterback point. Regardless to say, I walked out of the stadium appreciating the game for what it was, simply the last practice of spring. Anything more would be over exaggeration and anything less would be dismissing the hard work young players put into trying to get onto the roster.

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Notable Bits:

• Michael Robinson’s and Levi Brown’s rousing reception by the fans
• Conversely, the boos that rained down on Anthony Morelli who has yet to officially leave Penn State when he was introduced as one of the players of the game.

What was even more surprising were the looks on some of the fans who still turn around to look for the people booing as if it was a shocking revelation. Morelli sucked, Penn State is glad to get rid of him. History will see Morelli as a failure who could not use one of the best receiving corps in the country to his advantage in both 2006 and 2007, nor a great offensive line in 2007, nor a stellar defense in 2006. He never stepped up as a leader, never faced the media after a bad game and simply started under center because of some undying loyalty Joe Paterno has to his seniors (which I do commend), but unfortunately we got a super senior who couldn’t pee under pressure let alone throw a pass.

• The small group of red or orange clad fans sitting across from our section of the stadium. They were about 20 strong and all decked out in red or orange gear, couldn’t tell exactly which. I have no idea what it was for, but if someone does, please enlighten me.
• That Paul Cianciolo was actually being planted to the turf despite his red jersey. Just shows the hill he has to climb to fight Devlin for that #2 spot.

Releated Posts:

1. Champions of the East: Nittany Lions awarded record 28th Lambert Meadowlands Trophy
2. Nitt Links rehashes old arguments like a broken record
3. Previewing Akron: Breaking Down the Zips
4. Breaking: Penn State to the Capital One
5. Penn State volleyball improves EVIA record to 8-0

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