Bill O Brien

STATE COLLEGE - It was the third quarter. It was cold, windy, and sometimes snowy. And Bill O'Brien on the stadium microphone, imploring fans to do the wave. Such was the laid-back atmosphere of the Blue-White Game on Saturday in Beaver Stadium, in which a taut defense ended up on the right side of a complex scoring system, 67-47. Leading the way for the defense (the Blue team) was defensive lineman Austin Johnson, who notched five tackles and a pair of sacks, while defensive linemen Brad Bars and Evan Schwan had a pair of sacks.

Deion Barnes showed considerable talent last season as a first-year defensive end at Penn State, finishing in the top five of the Big Ten with six sacks and being named the conference's freshman of the year. Now the North Philadelphia native thinks he can be a better football player in 2013 because he's more aware of what his colleagues on the defensive line are doing, and getting better at reading opposing offenses. "I'm doing better recognizing offenses and playing together as a unit on the defensive line because you need your inside guys, you need your other guys to be successful," the 6-foot-4, 244-pound Barnes, a former Northeast High star, said Saturday after the Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Steven Bench and Tyler Ferguson battled all spring to be Matt McGloin's successor as Penn State's quarterback, getting just about an equal number of snaps through the 14 practices. In Saturday's Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium, each quarterback threw 15 passes and completed nine, with Bench connecting for one touchdown and Ferguson two. So when head coach Bill O'Brien came in out of this "spring" day that featured a few snow squalls, a biting wind, and temperatures around 40 degrees, and was asked who had the edge, he indicated the competition still was an even one. "I'll go back by myself and watch all the film from the spring over the next week," O'Brien said.

Having watched one season of Penn State football under the direction of head coach and offensive maestro Bill O'Brien, the fans coming to Beaver Stadium for Saturday's annual Blue-White game know what to expect even if it will be presented in its most basic form. With the Big Ten Network televising the game, which marks the end of spring football practice, you can be sure O'Brien will reveal only fundamental formations on offense and vanilla packages on defense because every conference opponent will have the DVR humming.

STATE COLLEGE - This time around, there are no "How excited are you for your first game in Beaver Stadium" questions for Bill O'Brien heading into the Blue-White Game. But for those looking to get a glimpse at how the coach and his players look near the end of the school year, Penn State's spring tradition will carry on Saturday at noon. The position battle capturing most of the attention is that of quarterback, currently between rising sophomore Steven Bench and rising redshirt sophomore Tyler Ferguson, with heralded recruit Christian Hackenberg waiting in the wings.

STATE COLLEGE - In the fall, Penn State's football players will battle Wolverines, Badgers and Buckeyes. In the spring, well, they just battle Nittany Lions. As the leaves return to the trees, it's the bragging rights of friendly yet fierce competition that is challenging many of coach Bill O'Brien's players to take their game to the next level. One of the battles that has garnered attention is that of wide receiver Allen Robinson and cornerback Adrian Amos. Roommates, friends and members of a group of Lions who have dubbed themselves the "Supa Six," the two use this competition to help their performances on the field.

The Penn State quarterbacks may be new to the heat of competition once the 2013 season begins, but that won't stop coach Bill O'Brien from expanding his rather complicated offense. With Matt McGloin gone after a record-breaking season, Steven Bench and junior-college transfer Tyler Ferguson have gone head-to-head during spring practice, with neither quarterback having gained any advantage. Bench, who will be a sophomore, and Ferguson will be joined by heralded incoming freshman Christian Hackenberg in preseason camp.

STATE COLLEGE - A few quick hits on John Urschel's resume: All-Big Ten football player, 4.0 grade-point average at graduation, math teacher at Penn State. Talk about a student-athlete. Urschel, a rising senior guard graduate student, is managing the responsibilities of teaching a MATH 041 class (trigonometry and analytic geometry) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:05 a.m. with spring practice and preparation to be one of the team's leaders. But he has not been fazed.

Penn State coach Bill O'Brien said that linebacker recruit Zayd Issah, who has been charged for his alleged role in a forgery scheme and with trying to pass counterfeit money, will not play football at Penn State in 2013. Issah, 18, who starred at Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg, was arrested March 10 after police said he tried to use counterfeit money to pay for food at a McDonald's restaurant. He has been charged with four felonies among eight counts. In an interview Wednesday with the Associated Press, O'Brien said he met over the weekend with Issah and his family.

Anthony Midget barely had gotten comfortable in his new assistant coach's office at Marshall when Penn State coach Bill O'Brien called him, invited him for an interview and then offered him a job on his staff.   So long, Marshall. Hello, Happy Valley.   "A week and a half later, I was at Penn State," Midget said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters. "It was an opportunity to come to one of the storied college programs in the country and to be part of the staff here.