Penn State football’s media viewing window on Wednesday afternoon was a brief one, and for good reason.
The No. 2-ranked Nittany Lions are set to welcome No. 6 Oregon to Happy Valley for a White Out matchup, one that’s expected to be won or lost on the margins.
The game holds massive implications for both the Big Ten title race and the College Football Playoff picture, so Penn State understandably limited what was available during its weekly practice availability.
Here’s what stood out during a rainy practice outside Holuba Hall.
Dani Dennis-Sutton’s status
Star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was in full pads during last week’s viewing but didn’t go through any drills, likely as a precaution after he appeared to get dinged up against Villanova.
This week, Dennis-Sutton returned to action, going through drills with the rest of the defensive ends, though he appeared to be moving at half-speed. The unit ran through usual pass-rush drills before moving into live reps against the offensive line.
Dennis-Sutton met with the media on Monday and sounded optimistic about playing against the Ducks, saying “It’s my last White Out, I’m excited man. I think Saturday’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
So Close, Yet So Far
Shortly after the defensive linemen ran through individual drills, they met up with the practice squad offense (comprised of Penn State’s third stringers) to practice against a simulated Oregon offense. This unit moved as far as possible away from the media, with a wall of players blocking view into the mass of bodies.
During this time, practice squad quarterback Jaxon Smolik threw a screen pass to a wide receiver, with the defense rallying to the ball. He also appeared to fake a pitch on an option play before tucking the ball and running up the middle where he was met by Dom DeLuca in the backfield.
Swipe into action
Penn State’s two-deep of wide receivers didn’t run any routes, but they worked with Marques Hagans on the more physical aspects of the position.
The group first practiced blocking, with the receivers pushing coaches and assistants backwards while maintaining leverage through hand placement.
They then transitioned into practicing releases, with assistant coach Mark Dupuis holding out pads while simulating a defender in press coverage. The players swiped at the pads before running downfield and catching short passes from Hagans.
Drayton education
Though they didn’t see much action, running backs coach Stan Drayton spent an extended time speaking to his players.
He appeared to discuss similar topics to Hagans, harping on swiping away defender’s hands. Drayton pulled Nick Singleton out and practiced what looked like a swim move against him as an example.
