UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A traditional spring game was far from the scene Saturday afternoon inside of Beaver Stadium.
Playing a Blue-White game open to the public for the first time since 2019, Penn State split its 15th and final practice into eight sessions that consisted of 7-on-7 action, full-squad scrimmages and two-minute drills. Utilizing a scoring system that rewarded the defense for three-and-outs and turnovers, the Nittany Lions defense prevailed, 17-13, against the offense.
While sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford provided a steady presence with the first-teamers, heralded recruit Drew Allar struggled by completing just 6 of 14 passes for 61 yards and throwing two interceptions.
In addition to the performances by the squad’s gunslingers, here are three takeaways from the workout.
Tinsley turns heads
Western Kentucky transfer Mitchell Tinsley made the most of his opportunities at wide receiver. Though the offense as a whole struggled to put points on the board, Tinsley was an exception.
Wearing a No. 5 white jersey, Tinsley scampered into the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Clifford. With his shiftiness and ability to gain yards after the catch, Tinsley drew comparisons to the last player who wore that number at Penn State — Jahan Dotson.
“Mitch, he’s a playmaker,” fellow wide receiver Malick Meiga said. “He’s going to make a play every time he gets a chance to. I feel like that’s a similarity that he has to Jahan. They’re both playmakers and Mitch, he’s like that.”
With wide receiver Parker Washington not participating in Saturday’s scrimmage for undisclosed reasons, Tinsley also fielded punts. Given his experience playing for the Hilltoppers in the past two seasons, Tinsley has earned the respect of players like Meiga.
“We expect him to be a leader,” Meiga said. “He just always has a positive attitude, great vibe. He’s going to make a lot of plays for us.”
Man in the middle
James Franklin and Manny Diaz have mentioned throughout the spring that the competition for who will start at middle linebacker will be one one of the program’s fiercest battles. But on Saturday, rather than Tyler Elsdon and Kobe King duking it out, only King was available to run with the first-team defense.
Though it was a non-tackling format, King led all players with five tackles, including two solos. Linebacker Curtis Jacobs, who is the sole returning starter among his position group, spoke highly of King’s potential to take over as the quarterback of the defense.
“I feel like he’s done a great job,” Jacobs said of King. “He’s been really big for us this spring. I just love to see his development. From the day he came on campus, I knew he was going to be a good player and I’m glad everybody gets to see that now.”
Similar to King’s development, Jacobs has been impressed with how Elsdon has progressed during his time on campus. Regardless of who Diaz tabs as the starting middle linebacker, Jacobs is confident in both “incredible linebackers”.
And if Saturday’s scrimmage was any indication, King is coming along in the manner that his brother, Kalen, has in the secondary.
Well-traveled Wheatley
Perhaps no player has had as much hype surrounding his spring practices than safety Zakee Wheatley. A redshirt freshman who recently converted from cornerback, Wheatley led the Nittany Lions defense in interceptions across their spring practices with five.
Wheatley came up empty Saturday, but Ji’Ayir Brown, who tied for the NCAA lead in interceptions last fall with six, has taken a liking to his game.
“He reminds me of myself from when I was younger,” Brown said. “He still makes some mistakes here and there, but that’s part of the change from corner to safety.”
Brown has been impressed by Wheatley’s ability to switch positions so early in his collegiate career.
One of the leaders of the defense according to his coaches, Brown is eager to see not just what he and Wheatley, but the entire Penn State defense can do in the 2022 fall campaign.
Andrew Destin: adestin@post-gazette.com and Twitter @AndrewDestin1.
First Published: April 23, 2022, 10:54 p.m.