Penn State football returned to Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon for its annual Blue-White game. Team White took home the win for the second consecutive year.

Jaxon Smolik and Lyrick Samuel connected for a 47-yard touchdown late in the first half. Quinton Martin Jr. rushed for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal in the third quarter, but Team Blue’s failed two-point attempt ultimately sealed the win for Team White.

How It Happened

On-field action started with seven-on-seven scrimmages. Drew Allar completed his first pass to Kyron Hudson and checked the ball down to Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen on multiple plays. LaVar Arrington II notably got the defensive nod on the opening scrimmage. Smolik and Ethan Grunkemeyer led the next two offenses before the team’s kickoff competition between Ryan Barker and Gabriel Nwosu. Nwosu won two points for Team Blue.

Allar’s pass to Hudson on the inaugural play misfired on an out route. Allar rushed for 5 yards on 3rd-and-10 as possession flipped to Team White.

Grunkemeyer handed it off to Corey Smith on first down, who was taken down by Ty Blanding for no gain. Smith got another carry before Grunkemeyer connected with Joey Schlaffer for a first down on play-action.

Grunkemeyer and Team White gained another first down after squeezing a tight ball into Samuel. The redshirt freshman quarterback kept the ball on read option and was ultimately tagged short of the first down. Matthew Parker sent the ball through the uprights to put Team White up 3-2 with around four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Team Blue’s Liam Clifford secured an end-around catch to pick up a first down on its next possession. Allar picked out Devonte Ross near the sideline for the biggest play of the day and another first down.

Smolik took over for Grunkeyemer on Team White in the second quarter. He unleashed a big run down the sideline for a first down. On the next play, he escaped pressure and found Amiel Davis for another first down.

Smolik connected with Samuel on a 47-yard deep shot for a Team White touchdown to give Team White a 10-2 lead near halftime.

Tight end Khalil Dinkins wrapped up a ball from Allar as Team Blue started its next drive. Allar then threw an interception to Vaboue Toure as Team White regained possession late in the first half.

Grunkemeyer checked the ball down to Smith for a first down before Elliot Washington II wrapped him up. He then ripped an eleven-yard run up the middle to continue inching Team White forward. Jaylen Harvey touched Grunkemeyer down for a sack, and he threw a near-interception to close out the first half. Team White led 10-2 after two quarters.

The game switched to live tackling for the second half. Team White’s offense took the field first with Smolik at the helm. He picked out Koby Howard on two consecutive plays, but Team Blue held them to a quick three-and-out.

Toure continued his day by blowing up Martin’s opening run on Team Blue’s first drive of the half. Despite the setback, Allar rifled a pass to Hudson at midfield for a first down. Daryus Dixson forced a ball out of Ross’ hands after Team Blue was set back by a penalty.

Allar still picked Ross out for a Team Blue first down on the following play. Allar sat back and rifled a pass to Hudson as Team Blue’s momentum picked up behind the new quarterback-receiver connections.

Ross showed more offensive versatility with a red zone jet sweep to set up first-and-goal for Team Blue. Martin rushed on four consecutive plays to put Team Blue in the end zone for the first time on the day. Despite the score, Allar and Clifford failed to convert the two-point conversion. Team White kept its lead 10-8 as the third quarter winded down.

Team White suffered a bad snap on the first play of its next drive, losing a yard as Grunkemeyer checked in to command the offense. Team White entered Team Blue’s half of the field after Grunkemeyer and Tyseer Denmark connected on a pass up the middle for the final play of the third quarter.

Grunkemeyer continued to feed Denmark as Team White picked up another first down at the 29-yard line. However, the drive ended there as Team Blue jumped on a mishandled snap by Grunkemeyer.

Grunkemeyer flipped to quarterback Team Blue on the next possession. Dixson jumped a route and broke up a Grunkemeyer throw to force a Team Blue punt. Denmark fair caught the punt at Team White’s own 5-yard line.

Team Blue quickly forced a three-and-out as Team White suffered a false start that backed it up to its own 3-yard line. Josiah Brown fielded the punt at Team Blue’s own 33.

Smolik ripped a ball to Martin down the sideline for a big play that brought Team Blue to Team White’s 47-yard line. On the next play, Smolik escaped pressure to his right and found Brown for a big gain. Dixson shook off Brown’s helmet with a big hit, but Brown got up as Team Blue continued its drive.

Furmanek fumbled the ball, and Team White regained possession.

Quarterback Jack Lambert checked in for Team White in the fourth quarter. He completed a pass to tight end Brian Kortovich as the final play of the game.

Takeaways

• Jaxon Smolik had a solid outing despite subbing in and out with Ethan Grunkemeyer for command of Team White’s offense. Smolik consistently escaped broken pockets and extended plays for positive gains. He also produced the highlight of the day with his second-quarter 47-yard touchdown to Lyrick Samuel.
• Redshirt freshman safety Vaboue Toure also had an impressive day for Team White. He picked off Drew Allar to end the first half and consistently disrupted the run game coming off the edge in the second half.
• True freshman Daryus Dixson made his presence felt in Team White’s secondary. He finished his day with a pass breakup on Devonte Ross and laid down a big hit on Josiah Brown in the third quarter.

What’s Next?

Penn State will kick off its 2025 season against Nevada on Saturday, August 30, at Beaver Stadium. The kickoff time and broadcast information are yet to be determined.