How is Penn State football progressing following first scrimmage?

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Nittany Lions held their first scrimmage of the season Saturday on what was a hot and humid evening in Beaver Stadium.

While it was not open to the media, according to a source the scrimmage went about how one would expect it to go this time of year. The defense, expected to be the team’s strength, was solid while the offense sounds like it’s making some strides. The most important thing is to walk away from a live scrimmage without any major injuries, which Penn State did. There are some other notes from the scrimmage that can be found below.

Penn State's five elected captains pose with James Franklin during the team's picture day in Beaver Stadium. (Audrey Snyder/Post-Gazette)

I presented these 5 storylines on Aug. 6 when Penn State started camp and figured it was time to check in and see what we know so far. There’s still a ways to go until starters are decided and Penn State scrimmages again this Saturday, so for now, here’s what I learned.

Development at left tackle

James Franklin said last Wednesday that neither Paris Palmer, nor Chance Sorrell has grabbed the starting spot. A source confirmed that Palmer continued working with the first team during Saturday’s scrimmage and looks to be growing more comfortable there. Now, Franklin said last week that they need to find a way to speed up Palmer’s maturation so he’s not playing tentative, so of course this position remains far from settled.

It’s worth mentioning that last week at the end of Wednesday’s practice former Baldwin offensive lineman Sterling Jenkins lined up at left tackle with the third-team offense. Sorrell, a redshirt freshman, repped with the second team during the brief period that was open to the media.

In general, Franklin said no redshirts have been decided for anyone. However, barring any significant injury along the offensive line, Jenkins -- like offensive linemen Noah Beh, Brendan Brosnan, Chasz Wright and Sorrell did last year -- would seem to me like a candidate in line to take a redshirt.

For now, Penn State knows what it has with returning starter Andrew Nelson at right tackle, but Franklin still hasn’t ruled out using Nelson at left tackle if needed. If Palmer can step up and avoid them from having to move Nelson that would be a boost to the o-line and that’s worth keeping an eye on from here on out.

Backup RBs

The Saquon Barkley hype train officially left the station during last Wednesday’s practice. The freshman, who arrived on campus in late June, burst along the far sideline for an impressive touchdown run, but keep in mind it was still the third-team offense playing against the third-team defense. Barkley impressed since he joined the team this summer though and is challenging for time behind starter Akeel Lynch and redshirt freshman Mark Allen who also has spent time practicing with the second-team offense so far during camp. 

Running backs Saquon Barkley, Mark Allen and Andre Robinson pose during their position photo in Beaver Stadium. (Audrey Snyder/Post-Gazette)

Allen, the 5-foot-6, 181-pound scat back, is one of the best pass protectors of the position group and should be able to help himself carve out a role this season. Franklin said following practice last Wednesday that Allen brings energy to every workout and that it’s infectious. I’m told there weren’t any breakout runs from Allen at the scrimmage on Saturday, where he ran with the second team, but I’m told his pass protection was once again “solid.”

We haven’t seen Johnathan Thomas, Nick Scott or Andre Robinson work much when we’ve been at practice (usually the media gets 15 min. once a week so there’s not a whole lot to take in) but Franklin said last week that they’re still in the mix. If Barkley remains ahead of Robinson, who is a freshman, (and Thomas and Scott) I’d be surprised if Penn State would burn the redshirt of Robinson too.

This position battle is far from over though and if Barkley can help this team, which early indications are that he can, then don’t be surprised to see him pushing for that second or third spot this Fall. I’m told Barkley punched in a touchdown around the goal line at Saturday’s scrimmage so while expectations for freshmen always have to be kept in check, Barkley has been a pleasant surprise for Penn State thus far.

Kicking game

This competition could be closer than most of us, myself included, think. Walk-ons Joey Julius and Tyler Davis are the two vying for the job and like any specialist it comes down to consistency. We’ve seen too small of a sample size for me to come to any kind of conclusion on these two, though they did work on field goals at the end of last week’s practice.

Like Penn State did with punters Chris Gulla and Daniel Pasquariello last year, if one of these kickers wins the starting job for Week 1 it’ll likely still be up for grabs as the season unfolds.

Redshirts no more

Penn State is giving Koa Farmer a shot to be the team’s kick returner and it sounds like the redshirt freshman made the most of that opportunity during Saturday’s scrimmage. Penn State’s special teams went live during the scrimmage and a source said Farmer returned a kickoff for a touchdown and showed off some blazing speed, giving Penn State a legit threat in the return game.

I talked with Farmer this summer about the possibility of him helping as a returner and while all 11 have to be doing their job in order to bust one, that’s certainly an encouraging sign for the special teams. Farmer generated some hype last camp when arrived and outgrew his position at safety, prompting the team to move him to linebacker and him taking a redshirt. He’s a unique athlete who at 6-foot-1, 222 lbs. still runs his 40-yard dash in the 4.4s, a time he said he even bettered by just a tad this offseason.

I’m told receiver DeAndre Thompkins, Mark Allen and Grant Haley didn’t work on returns at the scrimmage while walk-on receiver Josh McPhearson did get a crack at it. This could mean a few different things. Either Penn State knows and likes what it has in them and wanted to give Farmer and McPhearson a shot, or these two have the upper hand and took the live reps. Either way, it sounds like Penn State has a few options in the return game. 

Penn State quarterbacks Tommy Stevens (4), Trace McSorley (9), Billy Fessler (16) and Christian Hackenberg (14) during practice on Aug. 6, 2015. (Photo/Craig Houtz)

Christian Hackenberg’s backup, Trace McSorley, who is a redshirt freshman, is growing more comfortable in the offense. McSorley threw a pass to freshman receiver Juwan Johnson at last week’s practice and connected with him again during Saturday’s scrimmage, this time for what I’m told was about a 25-yard touchdown. At practices last season we saw McSorley use his feet to move the chains and also to keep plays alive.

If Hackenberg would opt to head to the NFL following this season it would make this an even more important year for McSorley to take the next step. While I’m told there were some errant snaps for the second-team offense during the scrimmage, McSorley’s accuracy was praised. If an opportunity presents itself for him to take a few snaps in non-conference play, perhaps we’ll see what he can do with this offense. For now though, it’s a positive sign that he seems to be settling in and building a rapport with Johnson, who at 6-foot-4, 213 lbs. is one of the team’s biggest targets.

As for Hackenberg, he showed off his wheels too, rushing for about a 15-yard touchdown in the scrimmage against the first-team defense, a source said.

Keeping defense healthy

Penn State knows what it has on defense and getting that group through camp healthy is key. The return of the light blue, no contact jerseys were present in a few videos the team released on their website during the past week. Among those spotted in the background in the light blue was sophomore safety Troy Apke, redshirt freshman defensive tackle Antoine White and junior linebacker Brandon Bell. Apke and White both were noticeably injured this summer, with Apke sporting a cast on his arm at Lift for Life and White on crutches at the event. But, they’re at least practicing in some way now so likely it won’t be too big of a concern for Penn State.

Freshman Ayron Monroe has stepped in to play safety with the second-team defense and I’m told did so Saturday as well, a move that likely was the result of Apke’s limited availability. As for Bell, he’s a returning starter and Penn State knows what it has in him. He was banged up a bit last year and is expected to flank Nyeem Wartman-White with Jason Cabinda lining up on the opposite side.

The Senior Bowl’s Phil Savage was at practice last Monday and reported that Carl Nassib, one of the team’s starting defensive ends, wasn’t a participant. The first team offense and defense weren’t on the field Wednesday when the media was present—no light blue jerseys were visible either, likely by design-- so we’ll keep an eye on Nassib again this week.

Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter @audsnyder4.