The Blue White game is often the only chance Penn State fans will get to see some lesser known players hit the field. While all eyes are on the quarterbacks and the likes of Jesse James, Akeel Lynch, and Allen Robinson, they weren’t the only Nittany Lions making plays on Saturday.
Here are the five least talked about performances this past weekend.
1. Austin Johnson (DT): With his redshirt season over Johnson didn’t wait long to make his potential known. A five tackle performance led the Nittany Lions during a game that saw players rotating in and out almost every play.
Johnson added two sacks and a tackle for a loss to his Blue White resume. Penn State fans will see more of Johnson down the road and Saturday’s performance was a nice introduction for the New Jersey native.
2. Deron Thompson (RB): While Akeel Lynch stole to show after the game, Thompson actually ran for more yards on one less carry. Thompson put together a 12 carry, 97 yard outing.
Thompson’s total was largely aided by a 41-yard run. Even so, Thompson proved to be a physical runner with a nice burst of speed in open space. With three talented and established backs already in the mix it’s hard to know where the redshirt-sophomore run-on will fit in, but he made the most of his chances Saturday.
3. Matt Zanellato (WR): With four catches for 53 yards Zanellato was drop-less on the day and was trailed only Jesse James on the receiving charts.
Zanellato made two catches all of last year but has put in a lot of work this spring to take a shot at winning the job as the Nittany Lions’ third receiving option. With a full stable of talent offensively it’s hard to know where Zanellato will fit in this season. That being said there is no reason he can’t be the one to take some of the pressure off of Allen Robinson. Robinson will likely face double-teams most of the year. Saturday’s performance was a strong one for the redshirt sophomore.
4. Evan Schwan (DE): Schwan led the Nittany Lions with 2.5 tackles for a loss and picked up two sacks on the day as well. The redshirt freshman and Harrisburg native weighed in at the end of this spring at 6-foot-6, 238 pounds. Sacks in the Blue White game include just touching the quarterback, but in his first significant action Schwan was able to hold his own and put up some nice numbers.
5. Trevor Williams (CB): While Adrian Amos and Stephen Obeng-Agyapong aren’t in any danger of losing their starting roles, Williams led the team with two pass break-ups in the secondary and one tackle. Da’Quan Davis and Jordan Lucas are both battling for the openings at corner along with Williams. Lucas also had a solid outing with two tackles, a pass break-up and a half a tackle for a loss.
Honorable Mention: Somewhat unknown defenders Jonathan Zuk and Jesse Merise caught the game’s only interceptions. While those picks were their only marks on the game — sometimes the difference between sitting and starting is as simple as making the catch. Those two interceptions weren’t the only ones that could have been Saturday but Zuk and Merise were the only ones to make the play, and that counts for something.
