Patience, performance fuels two young Lions

STATE COLLEGE — Two of the best athletes on this Penn State football team have worked under the radar the past couple of years.

So spring scrimmages are small gifts and chances to stretch their legs and shine in front of a big crowd in Beaver Stadium. One bigger chance to show their teammates and coaches that they will be ready when called upon this fall, the particular time yet unknown.

That's the toughest part of being a Nittany Lion as depth and talent quickly rebuilds, winning the Big Ten Championship fueling it all the more.

Tommy Stevens would be the starting quarterback on a lot of FBS teams, probably even Big Ten teams.

Ayron Monroe probably would have played a prominent defensive back role on a lot of others. Even last year as a redshirt freshman.

So there they were this past Saturday, playing starring roles in a Blue-White Game that matters little, in a sense, when it comes to predicting playing time and results four months from now.

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But it is a stopping point. For guys like Stevens and Monroe it is a chance to see a glimpse of every way they've been growing and improving behind the scenes. Stevens will still be one snap, one injury away from becoming the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback. Monroe seems to be pushing his way toward filling that empty safety position alongside Marcus Allen.

Stevens was the offensive star of the scrimmage, providing much more than just 17-of-24 passing for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the second half. He made the best long toss of the day, a perfectly-placed bomb down the right side to a sprinting DeAndre Thompkins. He put the ball over Thompkins' shoulder and right on his finger tips in full stride for 50 yards.

Stevens also calmly hit budding star receiver Juwan Johnson for a 15-yard score across the middle on the final play of the day.

He looks like a team leader, which is a wonderful luxury to have behind proven starter Trace McSorley. Teammates see a lot more than a strong thrower.

"Dude is fast. He's just so effortless and smooth," linebacker Koa Farmer said of Stevens. "If he runs the ball you're in trouble. He just scoots in and out of corners. He's fast. When he picks up his speed that dude is hard to stop. He's big, he's physical. You saw that run against Iowa last season."

Is Stevens starter material now?

"Yes, 100 percent," Farmer said without hesitating.

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Meanwhile, Monroe's status seems to have been building all spring. He's got the size (5-foot-11, 205 pounds, huge hands), speed and more. He may be the playmaker the secondary has been missing the past few years.

In the Blue-White Game, he picked off one pass, let a second slip through his fingers and made five tackles.

"He's going to be really good. He's starting to put it all together right now. I think that's what the buzz is," said Jarvis Miller, a safety-turned-linebacker. "This season I think he's going to have a big impact on our defense."

"Ayron's a freak, man. That dude is so athletic," Farmer said. "The things he just does … it's amazing to see because it's so effortless. He's had a helluva spring. He catches the ball and becomes a receiver. He's just impressive. You guys will see him this fall."

Monroe was thoughtful and expressive in one of his first big interview moments after the Blue-White Game. He talked and laughed about being a former pentathlon star as a young teenager.

The more he talked the more it showed how he believes his time has arrived. It's the kind of confidence needed for a defense filling with exceptional talent but still searching for stars and leaders.

"I made sure I had a turnover today. There was one I dropped, so I feel bad about that," Monroe said. "I don't care if I had a pick or a tackle. It's all about the opportunities I missed. Even though I had an interception today I want that to feel like that's just another play I should be expecting.

"I want to be looked at as someone you can count on, someone you know that, at any second, I can change the game. I want to be the person who's going to make a difference."