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Penn State Notebook: Franklin talks Blue-White, Mustipher, O-Line

Penn State’s annual Blue-White game is taking place this Saturday which means the end of the spring ball for the Nittany Lions is near.

Coach James Franklin met with reporters for one final time following practice on Wednesday to give the latest surrounding the game and current state of the program.

Here is what Franklin had to share.

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BLUE-WHITE GAME PREVIEW

Penn State is set to welcome thousands of visitors to Beaver Stadium this weekend as the Blue-White game declares the end of spring ball for the Nittany Lions.

While Blue-White is typically played in a normal game format, things may be changed this year due to some well-known depth issues within the offensive line room.

Franklin clarified on Wednesday how he expects things to go including how the competition will strictly be the defense versus the offense.

“[The game] will be different from what we've done in the past,” Franklin said. “We'll probably go offense versus defense. Offense on one side line defense on the other sideline to help our O-Line out and then also to get enough special teams situations in between.”

The game will also be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network for those who won’t be able to make the trip to Happy Valley.

UPDATE ON DT PJ MUSTIPHER

Franklin also gave an important update on one of Penn State’s biggest leaders and talents on defense.

After suffering a season-ending leg injury against Iowa last season, defensive tackle PJ Mustipher has been rehabbing all spring and was talked about today for the first time in what seems like a little while.

Franklin says that Mustipher has been updating him by sending videos of him running which has both his coaches and teammates ready to see him return.

Despite the head coach also mentioning that the team is taking things cautiously with Mustipher, he says that he and the team doctors feel that he may be ahead of schedule and indicated that he is on track to be ready for Purdue in Week 1.

“I think from everybody I've talked to [...] I think he's a little bit ahead of schedule,” Franklin said. “But I also think we're taking a fairly conservative approach, knowing that he's played a lot of football for us and most importantly, we’ve got to have him ready for Purdue.”

OFFENSIVE LINE COMPETITION

Toward the end of the season and going into the spring, the offensive line appeared to be taking shape for what it should look like in 2022.

But with the transfer portal and other bodies joining Phil Trautwein’s group this spring, there may be some competition, specifically at left guard.

Sophomore Landon Tengwall appeared to have the spot locked down heading into the spring but with the additions of JB Nelson and Hunter Nourzad via the portal, the left guard spot may be up in the air.

But Franklin says that all the positions on the line have competed well this spring and there should continue to be more iron sharpening iron as the team rolls into summer.

“We’ve got some guys coming in, we’ve got some transfers,” Franklin said. “There will be some really good competition on the offensive line [...] as you guys have seen we are bringing in a number of them.”

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