Penn State’s spring practice not quite over yet, but the Nittany Lions have some questions

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The third Saturday in April traditionally is the Penn State intrasquad scrimmage known as the Blue-White Game, a festive spring day of football and tailgating that usually attracts more than 50,000 to Beaver Stadium.

With tradition still taking a beating due to the pandemic, the Nittany Lions played a scaled-down scrimmage Saturday before a crowd announced at 7,521, made up of family members and friends of players and coaches and a strong delegation of freshmen, some of whom were no doubt confused which team to cheer for.

This was only practice No. 12 of the 15 practices the NCAA allows during the spring, but there are still some questions surrounding the 2021 Penn State football team that will linger after Friday night’s final practice and into the summer.

Question 1: Who’s the backup quarterback?

Sean Clifford looks to be locked in as the starter for the third consecutive season, under a new offensive coordinator in Mike Yurcich, but the experience level drops off dramatically after that. Redshirt sophomore Ta’Quon Roberson has taken no snaps with a game still in doubt and freshman Christian Veilleux just enrolled in January.

Head coach James Franklin said Saturday he likes what the two young players are doing.

“Both Ta’Quon and Christian showed some really good flashes of understanding what we’re trying to do, how to operate the offense the way Mike wants it run, and then also the ability to make some plays and have the vision to read a defense and then deliver a throw.”

He later added, “until you have that experience, it’s hard to say that you feel great until you know they’ve done it.”

Franklin spoke Wednesday night that he would continue to monitor the NCAA transfer portal for players at any position, and “if it’s somebody that we think that makes us better, then we’re going to look at it hard.”

Question 2: Who is the answer at featured running back?

Noah Cain entered into last season as the No. 1 back but was lost for the season with an undisclosed injury in Week 1 after three carries on the team’s first possession. Freshman Keyvone Lee, who was the leading rusher last year, appears to have a leg up on the starter’s job this spring but the competition in training camp is sure to be spirited because it is expected to include Cain, who received reps in spring practice but wasn’t “full go,” according to Franklin. The coach likes the ability of the 237-pound Lee to be a north-south runner and fall forward for extra yards. As for finding a breakaway back to compliment Lee, Franklin said he has “a bunch” that can provide that but knows explosive plays are a function of the blocking up front, the scheme and making the opponent defend from sideline to sideline.

Question 3: How good is freshman corner Kalen King?

Franklin calls King, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound cornerback from Detroit who enrolled in January, “probably the most advanced freshman that we have had since we’ve been here in terms of his ability to practice, and compete both physically and mentally.” And he showed his ability Saturday with two interceptions, one against Clifford that he took to the house. Franklin praised King’s talent and confidence and added, “the ball just likes him. He’s gotten a couple of interceptions where you just throw it to him. They get a number of turnovers by making great plays and the ball just tips up and lands in their hands or it’s just thrown to him by a misread. He’s one of those guys.” Look for King in the Lions’ secondary in September.

Question 4: Will Marquis Wilson play both ways?

Wilson, who has been part of Penn State’s rotation at cornerback in his first two seasons, competed in Saturday’s scrimmage at wide receiver, a position where he’s spent all of one week. Still, the prospect of being able to throw to him has thrilled Clifford.

“He’s moved over and has made some great plays,” he said. “He’s raw right now but at the same time, I’m very excited at what Marquis brings to the table.”

Said Franklin: “He’s got tremendous confidence in himself, and we’re looking for a few more playmakers at the wide receiver positions.” Adding him to a group that includes Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington, last year’s top two receivers, is an intriguing possibility for the Lions.

Question 5: How does the defense look?

Other than the fascination about King, the defense was the subject of few questions in the post-scrimmage interviews. But the unit, especially the first team, appeared to be a difficult one for the retooled offense to move the ball on. In fact, in the scrimmage’s first nine possessions, the Lions’ three quarterbacks – Clifford, Roberson and Veilleux – each threw one touchdown pass, not a great percentage, and led the team to two field goals. Nick Tarburton (Pennridge) and Adisa Isaac took over the defensive end spots after the departure to the NFL Draft of Shaka Toney and Jayson Oweh, and Hakeem Beamon showed to be a capable replacement at tackle for Antonio Shelton. The defensive backfield also looks strong with Tariq Castro-Fields and Jaquan Brisker electing to come back for another season. So all looks promising here.