Fearless predictions for Penn State football’s Blue-White Game

The score of Saturday’s Blue-White Game doesn’t really matter; spoiler: Penn State is going to win.

So instead of picking arbitrary scores, we’ve got a few fearless predictions as to how the game will unfold — and who everyone will be talking about Saturday night into Sunday.

Here are our picks:

John McGonigal: Mac Hippenhammer records 100 receiving yards, one touchdown

Much like Juwan Johnson a year ago, KJ Hamler was the buzz of camp. Everyone from James Franklin to defensive end Ryan Buchholz crowned the redshirt freshman as the star of spring — but his classmate will provide Saturday’s breakout performance. With Johnson out to injury, Mac Hippenhammer ought to have plenty of opportunities. The Indiana native ran with the first-team during last week’s two-minute drill, joining Brandon Polk on the outside as DeAndre Thompkins worked the slot. Hippenhammer, while more understated than Hamler, has speed to burn, and he noticeably improved his route-running in the offseason; three or four catches is all he needs to get to 100 yards. “He’s very smooth,” cornerback Amani Oruwariye said. “It’s crazy what a year can do. ...He’s come a long way.” And Hippenhammer is going to prove it Saturday.

Ryne Gery: Micah Parsons lives up to hype, leads Blue Team in tackles

Parsons, who was one of the nation’s top recruits, is competing for a starting spot at linebacker and should see plenty of time on the field Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 241-pound freshman has already received praise from his coaches throughout the spring. “He’s got a special skillset,” Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry said. Parsons will use that ability and athleticism to lead the Blue Team’s defense, recording a few tackles for loss as part of an impressive performance. The linebacker will give Nittany Lions’ fans a glimpse of what to expect this fall.

Josh Moyer: QB Sean Clifford has a coming-out party, accounts for at least three touchdowns

Sometimes, the most difficult thing to predict at the Blue-White Game is opportunity. But, with Tommy Stevens injured and Trace McSorley likely to just play a series or two, that’s not a question for Clifford. He’ll be taking the reins of the Blue Team, or the first-team offense, and he should have a field day against the second-team defense — especially with the speedy receivers he’ll have at his disposal. James Franklin said earlier this spring that Clifford is so competitive that he broke his hand a few months ago after he missed a lift and punched the bench. He’s better now obviously — or Franklin wouldn’t have shared the anecdote — and that leads me to believe there’ll be no quit in him at Saturday’s vanilla scrimmage. If he struggles early, he has the ability to bounce back. He has a strong arm, and it’d be a disappointment if he didn’t connect on at least one long bomb in the Blue-White Game.

This story was originally published April 20, 2018 at 9:44 PM with the headline "Fearless predictions for Penn State football’s Blue-White Game."