P
enn State put 66 players on the
field at one point or another dur-
ing a 44-13 blowout of Ball State
on Sept. 11.
In doing so, head coach James Frank-
lin gave valuable snaps to backups and
young players while also giving his
starters a much-needed breather late in
the game following a hard-fought affair
at Wisconsin just seven days earlier.
It was a recipe for success, both in
the short and long term, because while
players such as senior safety Jaquan
Brisker and senior quarterback Sean
Clifford could have used a break, many
of their teammates also needed the
chance to see what it was like not only
playing in a college football contest but
doing it in front of 100,000-plus fans.
"I'm going to be interested to see
what the rep count was, specifically on
the defensive side of the ball," Franklin
said. "Our rep count was way too high
last week at Wisconsin. To be able to
NEW
FACES,
NEW
PLACES
Young players make an impact
in Nittany Lions' first two games
True freshman cornerback Kalen King saw action
in both of Penn State's first two games after elicit-
ing praise from the coaching staff throughout the
offseason.
PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL
G R E G P I C K E L | G P I C 9 2 @ G M A I L . C O M
3 6 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1
