Penn State Starter Returns, Plus Other Observations From Practice

Four days after beating Nevada and three days before taking the field against Florida International, Penn State football went back to work on the practice field in front of the media for a weekly viewing session on Wednesday.

Defensive end Zuriah Fisher, an expected starter who missed Week 1 with injury, was back practicing after not being seen during last week’s viewing window. In his place, redshirt freshman Jaylen Harvey earned the start and Chaz Coleman quickly replaced him in the first quarter.

Head coach James Franklin said Monday that Fisher “was excited and wanted to play, and we kind of held him just because at that point he hadn’t practiced enough.”

Fisher appeared to be back to full health, wearing a sleeve on his right leg but going through drills with no signs of limitations. He and the defensive ends worked on forcing fumbles during a pass-rush drill.

There were no notable alumni or NFL scouts in attendance, a rare occurrence for this year’s squad, which is loaded with pro-level talent.

That didn’t make a difference, as the players went to work on a sunny late afternoon, split into a two-deep and a practice squad in preparation for a clash against the Panthers.

On the far field, center Nick Dawkins, left guard Vega Ioane and left tackle Drew Shleton worked in harmony to practice picking up stunts, running through different scenarios and passing off rushers. 

The wide receivers practiced cuts, running between two tackle dummies before turning around to catch passes from position coach Marques Hagans. The two-deep once again included Kyron Hudson, Trebor Peña, Devonte Ross, Liam Clifford, Tyseer Denmark and Koby Howard.

Not far from them, the running backs also worked on cuts, dodging yoga balls rolled at them while toting the rock. Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Cam Wallace and Corey Smith comprised the two-deep.

Shortly after, the wide receivers met up with Drew Allar for routes. Under the intense watch of assistant quarterbacks coach Trace McSorley, Allar connected with Tyseer Denmark on an out route, Howard on a curl, Ross on another out, Peña on a well-thrown corner and Clifford on a deep out. During their initial routes, no receivers dropped a pass and Allar didn’t miss any throws.