An estimated 50,000 Nittany Lion fans sunbathed at Beaver Beach Saturday afternoon, while they watched the Blue team defeat the White team, 33-28, in the final intra-squad scrimmage of spring practice at Penn State.

Basking in the bright sunlight and 75 degree temperature, the fans - many of whom had already spent several hours practicing their tailgaiting skills - had a chance to talk with their favorite players and get their autographs before the 2 p.m. kickoff of the pseudo-game that each year gives the players a chance to have some fun after 14 days of grueling drills, while the fans get enough of a football fix to carry them through until the fall.

The score is superfluous to the gridiron aficionados, who primarily want to see who are the likely candidates to replace last year's departed stars and get a feel for how much braggadocio they might risk in bantering with their Big Ten friends over the summer.

Some would have you believe that the Blue team was composed of the likely first string offense and second string defense, while the White team comprised the first string defense and second string offense, although even that turned out to be meaningless when the quarterbacks switched teams in the second half and many other players pulled blue or white blouses over their shirts to play for the opposing team, as the afternoon wore on. And the primary purpose of the coaches is to give every player on the team the thrill of playing on the Beaver Stadium turf before a large crowd, even though many of them may not even suit up in the fall.

In any event, it would appear that Penn State's biggest challenge is rebuilding a defense that lost three All-Americans (including the first two picks in the NFL draft), and a couple of more All-Big Ten performers. Senior quarterback Rashard Casey completed 13 of 25 pass attempts for 205 yards and two touchdowns and sophomore Matt Senneca connected on 12 of 18 tosses for 145 yards and one touchdown, while 11 runners galloped another 217 yards.

The brightest spot for the defense came on the last play of the game, when senior cornerback Bruce Branch intercepted Senneca's pass in the South end zone and returned it the length of the field for the game's final points, as the clock expired. Branch, incidently, had been honored at halftime with the Jim O'Hora Award as the team's most improved defensive player. Sophomore strong safety Shawn Mayer led all defenders with 10 tackles during the afternoon.

The Red Worrell Award for the most improved offensive player went to Tyler Lenda, a sophomore who was switched from tight end to guard this spring. Three players shared the Frank Patrick Total Commitment Award for their performance on and off the field, in the classroom and in community service. They were defensive end Bob Jones, and offensive guards Joe Hartings and Josh Mitchell.

Junior split end Rod Perry led the receivers with five catches for 59 yards and one touchdown for the White team, while junior tailback Eric McCoo hauled in two for 89 yards, including a 75-yard fourth-quarter touchdown bomb from freshman quarterback Sean Schellenger, who completed four of his six attempts for 105 yards for the Blue squad. Junior wide receiver Eddie Drummond made a beautiful diving reception of a 62-yard toss by Casey. Tight end John Gilmore scored the game's first touchdown, when he grabbed a 15-yard rifle shot from Casey in the fifth minute of the contest. Tight end Mike Lukac was on the receiving end of a 4-yard TD toss by Casey in the final frame.

McCoo led all runners with 47 yards on nine carries, followed by Larry Johnson with 42 yards on eight carries and Omar Easy, who covered the same distance on six carries. Omar made the White's first touchdown look Easy when he skirted right end and rambled 15 yards to paydirt in the middle of the first quarter to tie the game. McCoo got the lead back for the Blue three minutes later when he squirmed three yards for his first TD of the day. Freshman tailback Ben Lago matched McCoo's three-yard touchdown run for the Blue in the second quarter, before Perry caught a 13-yard TD strike from Senneca just before halftime.

Senior place-kicker Ryan Primanti had a good day, nailing field goals of 48 and 37 yards for the Blue squad, plus four extra points - all of which were kicked from behind the 25 yard line, making them equivalent to at least a 35-yard field goal. Sophomore walk-on Dave Royer, who was pressed into service in place of the injured Pat Pidgeon at Michigan State last fall, handled most of the punting duties Saturday, averaging 40.8 yards on six kicks.

The quick-footed Casey acted like the team was his now, as he moved the Blue team with precision during the first half then did the same for the White after intermission. He scrambled several times for good yardage, but was also sacked four times, although that was according to touch-football rules, since he and Senneca wore red jerseys and were not allowed to be hit. Under the rules of the scrimmage there were no kickoffs or punt returns, the defense was not allowed to rush the punter and only a limited number of offensive and defensive plays were used.

The players now get a three and one-half month break until fall practice begins in early August. The season-opener will be against Southern Cal in the Kickoff Classic in Giants Stadium at the New Jersey Meadowlands on Sunday, August 27.

One interested observer who watched the Blue-White game from the stands, after patrolling the sidelines for the last 32 years, was retired Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who was roasted and honored on Friday night before 1,200 guests in the Bryce Jordan Center. The benefit dinner raised $165,000 for The Second Mile charity that Sandusky founded to benefit youths at risk throughout the Commonwealth. In addition to the coaches and former players who poked good-natured jabs at the affable Sandusky, several young people gave testimonials about how Jerry and his organization had turned their lives around.

For the glory,