Is Penn State good enough at wide receiver? At least James Franklin thinks so [opinion]

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Apr. 13—STATE COLLEGE — Several veteran Penn State players sat out Saturday’s Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium because they had injuries or because their coaches didn’t need to see them play.

The defense missed end Zuriah Fisher and safety K.J. Winston.

The offense missed running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, tight end Tyler Warren and offensive linemen Sal Wormley, Drew Shelton and J.B. Nelson.

Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith also did not play. His whereabouts were unknown.

News broke Friday that the Nittany Lions’ top receiver from last season was not with the team for the last week and that he planned to transfer.

“I’m really happy to talk about any of the guys who played today and are in the locker room,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “Besides that, I don’t have a whole lot to tell you.”

Losing Lambert-Smith’s production is a blow to a receiving corps that, putting it politely, struggled last season. They made a total of 20 catches in the last four games, just two by Lambert-Smith.

Even with adding former Southern Columbia High School star Julian Fleming from Ohio State, it’s uncertain if the Lions are good enough at that position to win a championship in the fall.

Franklin and quarterback Drew Allar tried to argue on their behalf.

“We have the talent in the room,” Franklin said. “The reality is that we gotta take the next step and do it on a consistent basis. We gotta make plays against all the people on our schedule.

“All those guys are in the locker room for a reason. We have belief in those guys. We believe they’re ready to take the next step.”

Tre Wallace made five catches for 72 yards Saturday against what was mostly a reserve defense. Kaden Saunders had two for 27, Liam Clifford two for 23 and Omari Evans one for 20.

None of those guys made more than 19 catches last season.

Allar, though,…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-good-enough-wide-035900858.html

Author : Reading Eagle, Pa.

Publish date : 2024-04-14 03:59:00

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