Will Tommy Stevens see more time at QB? Highlights from James Franklin’s presser

Tommy Stevens is the future at quarterback at Penn State — but the fan favorite will have to remain patient.

Stevens, who spelled fifth-year senior Trace McSorley late in the third quarter against Michigan, will continue his role as Penn State’s “Lion.” Outside of that, though, don’t expect the 2019 heir apparent to see meaningful time at quarterback over the Nittany Lions’ final three regular-season games.

“We’ll continue approaching it the way we have, being able to mix him in in some of the packages we have used,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said, when asked if Stevens will be worked in more like he was at Michigan. “We can have him in with two quarterbacks or as a receiver or as a tight end or as a running back. We’ll probably continue to approach it that way, which is a way to get him some experience.

“It allows Trace to get in some rhythm and our offense to get in a rhythm. That’s something that we haven’t done over the last couple of weeks.”

Penn State’s passing game has struggled in recent weeks with drops, inconsistent quarterback play and protection problems plaguing the Nittany Lions. That was especially true in Penn State’s 42-7 loss at The Big House over the weekend. McSorley — whose lateral mobility was limited, wearing a brace on his right knee — completed 5 of 13 passes for 83 yards with a tipped interception.

Stevens was brought in with the Nittany Lions down 21-0 late in the third quarter. As McSorley put it, the change was to provide the team “a spark.” On the second play, Stevens threw an ugly pick-six. The redshirt junior bounced back a bit, completing his next three passes and finding the end zone on the ground to avoid a shutout.

However, if McSorley is healthy, it’s his gig full-time. And Stevens, like he has already, will continue to bide his time.

‘On the bubble’

Five-star freshman receiver Justin Shorter is “on the bubble” to play and make an impact in Penn State’s home stretch, per Franklin.

Shorter — who dealt with an injury early in the season — was Penn State’s highest-rated offensive recruit since Derrick Williams. He caught 36 passes for 522 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior at South Brunswick High School (N.J.).

However, Shorter is apparently not prepared to crack the receiver rotation.

“If a guy’s not ready, we’re not going to play him,” Franklin added.

Timeout management

On third-and-10 at Michigan’s 39-yard line, McSorley was sacked by Michigan’s Jordan Glasgow for a loss of seven. The clock trickled down to one minute left in the second quarter, and Michigan had zero timeouts remaining.

Most coaches would let the clock run and punt, leaving the opponent with little time and space to do anything but kneel. But Franklin called timeout on fourth-and-17, stopping the clock for the Wolverines. He explained his puzzling decision a few days after the fact:

“That one on Saturday we did not manage well. I think what happened was, it was the first time that we had good field position, and my gut was saying that we needed to do something to spark the team there and maybe take a risk and go for it. Obviously, you know, called the timeout. And then after doing it, realized that wasn’t the right thing to do. So we punted the ball. ... That was one that I did not handle well.”

THON recognition

Saturday is Penn State’s annual “THON Day” to celebrate the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. As per usual, the student section will wear yellow. But there’s a new addition to the festivities.

The Nittany Lions will wear THON stickers on their helmets, something offensive lineman Charlie Shuman — who has participated twice in the 46-hour dance marathon — has pushed to get done for three years.

“It’s exciting to have THON on a national stage when we play Wisconsin this weekend,” Shuman said.

Quotable

“I think one of the things that’s really good is making the process as easy as possible for our guys so that a large percentage would go and do it. So making sure our guys knew what all the options were on-campus, off-campus, things like that. I think it’s really critical. ... For us and for the players and for fans, we understand the importance of the wins and the losses but in college football, we also have a very, very strong responsibility of making sure that we’re educating our guys beyond just the game.” — Franklin, when asked about how the Nittany Lions handled Election Day.

This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 2:10 PM.