STATE COLLEGE | Penn State starts its season Aug. 30 against Nevada, and this is the last week of practice without a game to end it. The team opened practice Tuesday for its weekly media visit, so let's take a look at what the Nittany Lions worked on during the viewing window.
For the first time during a media availability, we saw the defense and offense go head-to-head. Split-line and 3-on-3 drills concluded the window. With Andy Kotelnicki in year two as offensive coordinator, these parts of practice have been extremely beneficial for defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
"Everything's about putting our defense and putting Jim in the best position as well, so we can come out from game one and play championship-level football," Penn State coach James Franklin said after practice.
And this was the loudest we've heard Knowles at practice. He shouted direction, and some criticism, toward players, showing a different side with which the Nittany Lions are getting familiar. But that quiet side can be deceiving.
"He's very tough," safety Zakee Wheatley said recently. "If you're going to be the best defensive coordinator in the country, the expectations, the standard have to be held high."
Zuriah Fisher, a projected starter at defensive end, was not on the field during the open practice window. Defensive line coach Deion Barnes said after practice of Fisher, "he's fine, he's going to be back out there soon, he's OK."
Franklin discussed reps management after practice, which this could have been for Fisher, who missed last season with an injury. In his absence, freshman Chaz Coleman, a training camp standout, took reps with the top-line defensive ends.
In addition, cornerback Zion Tracy was not on the field during the availability. Safety Kolin Dinkins took some reps in Tracy's slot role and made a nice pass breakup during a 3-on-3 drill.
Stan Drayton had all the obstacles out for Penn State's running backs on Tuesday: yoga balls, cones, a tarp canopy, you name it. He put the back through it, and Nicholas Singleton looked particularly assertive with a stiff-arm during one drill.
Singleton and Kaytron Allen had the first two reps of the position group with Cam Wallace and Tikey Hayes right behind them. Penn State continues to sort through its options at No. 3 running back Franklin noted after practice that, at this point of fall camp, reps for "proven commodities" like Singleton and Allen are becoming more "strategic" to protect their health.
"Having specific plans for the guys that made a choice to come back and didn't have to, you know, being really smart and strategic with those guys -- very similar to what we did with Olu [Fashanu] a few years ago," Franklin said.
Like last week, Ethan Grunkemeyer took reps behind Drew Allar in the quarterback rotation. Jaxon Smolik and Jack Lambert performed the same drills to the side of the other two during practice.
Franklin said after a few inconsistent practices last week, he and the coaching staff delayed making a decision for the No. 2 spot. During 3-on-3 drills, Allar and Grunkemeyer connected well with the wide receivers and tight ends and had a majority of those throws. As the season gets closer, there are only so many reps to go around the quarterback room.
"The guy that we feel like is in the lead right now, we've started to adjust those reps, but not to the point where a decision has been made," Franklin said.
The tight ends played a big role in the 3-on-3 drills and were heavily targeted. Andrew Rappleyea is back from injury and has looked pretty good through his reps. Right now, however, he isn't first in line for reps.
Luke Reynolds and Khalil Dinkins are first in line as Rappleyea continues to work back. Kotelnicki said post practice that he's impressed with the whole group. He even made compared Dinkins favorably to Tyler Warren, the Penn State tight end who won the Mackey Award last season.
"You count on them both to catch balls, you count on both to block and be true all-around tight ends," Kotelnicki said. "And that's easier to say than actually do at the tight-end spot, because most guys excel at one end of the spectrum or the other. ... But Dinkins and Ty show elite traits in both of those areas, which is rare."