Penn State Football: Complete Spring Game Preview

A year ago, James Franklin helped usher in a new era of Penn State football when he coached his first spring game as the Nittany Lions head coach. And while this year's exhibition may not possess as much excitement—or meet the expectations of offensive line coach Herb Hand—there will still be plenty to keep an eye on in Happy Valley this Saturday.

The Nittany Lions return 16 combined starters on offense and defense from a year ago, including star quarterback Christian Hackenberg. But finally back at a full scholarship limit following the reduction of sanctions stemming from the Jerry Sandusky scandal, the junior signal-caller should be better protected while having more toys to play with, some of which will be on the field on Saturday.

Date: Saturday, April 18

Time: 4 p.m. ET

Place: Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa.

TV: Big Ten Network

Radio: Penn State Sports Network

Who to Watch on Offense

Although Hackenberg's status as a starter isn't in question and Akeel Lynch appears to have locked up the Nittany Lions' No. 1 running back spot, there should be no shortage of intrigue in the backfield for this year's Blue-White Game.

With Hackenberg potentially headed to the NFL after this season, Saturday could be the start of a battle between Trace McSorley and Tommy Stevens to be Penn State's starting signal-caller in 2016. McSorley currently has an edge over the early enrollee Stevens based on experience alone, but the spring game should provide a platform for both to receive valuable snaps in front of a live crowd.

As for the immediate future, count on McSorley to be Hackenberg's primary backup, with Stevens expected to redshirt.

"He was getting all the No. 2 reps in practice,'' Franklin said of McSorley, who will be a redshirt freshman this season. "That's not really going to change."

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

In the race to back up Lynch, Mark Allen and Nick Scott should each see significant carries on Saturday.

At 5'7" and 186 pounds, Allen is more of a speedster while the 5'11", 201-pound Scott possesses more of a bruising running style, providing options for Franklin when it comes to complementing Lynch, who rushed for 678 yards and four touchdowns in 2014.

As for the aforementioned weapons in the aerial attack Hackenberg will have, three of them could come at the tight end position. Kyle Carter (70 career receptions, 828 yards and four touchdowns) returns for his senior season, while Mike Gesicki (11 receptions, 114 yards) will be a sophomore and Adam Breneman (15 receptions, 186 yards, three touchdowns in 2013) is looking to recover from knee surgery that brought his 2014 season to an end before it started.

While the Nittany Lions' tight end trio offers plenty to Hackenberg as pass-catchers, Franklin said they'll need to prove their ability as blockers before they get on the field.

"A tight end on the field that's not a threat to cause problems in the running game is basically a slow wide receiver," Franklin said. "We might as well put another wide receiver on the field if we're not going to be physical and nasty and aggressive at the tight end position. I think that needs to be a major focus this year."

It could be a major focus on Saturday as well.

Who to Watch on Defense

With Deion Barnes and C.J. Olaniyan out the door, Penn State will find itself breaking in two new starting defensive ends in 2015. The current crop of Nittany Lion ends may not have as much talent as its predecessors, but what it lacks in quality, it could make up for in quantity.

Carl Nassib, Garrett Sickels, Curtis Cothran and Torrence Brown are all defensive ends who have been mentioned by Franklin as having had strong spring sessions this year. Saturday could go a long way toward two establishing themselves as starters heading into fall camp. However it shakes out, expect all to see plenty of snaps next season.

"Those guys have played with great technique, great fundamentals, they're playing with really good confidence now," Franklin said. "I'm excited about our D-ends, I really am.''

Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

Behind the Penn State defensive line, questions exist too, especially when it comes to replacing the heart and soul of last year's defense, middle linebacker Mike Hull. Nyeem Wartman, who played outside linebacker in 2014, has shifted over to take snaps in Hull's old spot. Seeing how he performs on Saturday could help Franklin and his staff decide whether that will be a long-term solution.

"Big, strong, physical guy who moves very, very well," Franklin said of Wartman. "He's got experience now playing the position. You'd like to have a linebacker who is a guy who has played enough football."

The Nittany Lions secondary will also bare watching, with sophomore Grant Haley stepping in to replace Jordan Lucas, who is shifting to safety this season. Daquan Worley could also be in the mix to start opposite Trevor Williams at corner, after recovering from a torn ACL that forced him to redshirt in 2014.

What's Ahead?

With so many starters returning, it has been somewhat of a low-key spring in Happy Valley, with very few position battles capturing the attention of the blue-and-white faithful. This upcoming season will be more about building on the momentum of Franklin's first season at the helm than starting over, which will be a welcomed change of pace for the program that has endured so much turnover in the past four years.

Adding optimism to the Nittany Lions' 2015 campaign is the team's return to 85 scholarship players, although the initial impact of that won't be felt until Penn State's most recent recruiting class arrives on campus. Only in his second season in State College after the departure of Bill O'Brien, it won't even be until the Nittany Lions' 2016 class that Franklin will be recruiting at full capacity.

So while this spring has been instrumental in staying on track, it won't be until the fall that Penn State reaches its full potential. That's true for most teams, but especially the Nittany Lions, who already find themselves flying under the radar in a Big Ten East that also includes Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.