Penn State Hit the Practice Field on Tuesday. Here's What We Learned

The Nittany Lions seek to make improvements during the bye week as they prepare to host Oregon for the White Out.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks on the field prior to the game against the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Beaver Stadium will be empty on Saturday, as Penn State gets its first bye week of the season after going 3-0 through its non-conference schedule. On Saturday, Penn State will get to closely analyze Oregon in real time against Oregon State before their matchup Sept. 27 vs. the Ducks in the White Out.

The Nittany Lions will practice through Thursday and get two days off before returning Sunday to begin preparing for Oregon. Here’s what we saw during Tuesday’s practice. 

RELATED: Oregon's Dan Lanning peeks ahead to the Penn State White Out

Regulating the reps of veteran players

Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton in the first half of an NCAA football game against Nevada. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nittany Lions defensive Dani Dennis-Sutton wore full pads but was a spectator during the open portion of practice. And he wasn’t the only veteran whose reps were limited.

The bye week is the time to rest those who have played a significant number of reps through the first three weeks. It also gives the coaching staff a chance to devote more practice reps to younger players.

“Fundamentally, there’s a lot of things we need to improve on from a schematic standpoint, and then there’s some veteran players that we’ll have a separate plan for because they’ve played a ton of football and know what they’re doing,” Franklin said. “You’ve got to be smart with some of those guys, but the majority of our team needs to get better. Everybody got reps today, but some guys were modified.” 

Freshman linebacker LaVar Arrington II making steady progress at a demanding position

Tyseer Denmark catching praise from practice performance

Penn State wide receiver Tyseer Denmark (4) runs after a catch during the Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Until Tuesday, the last time the media got any substantial looks at one-on-one drills was before the season started. Toward the end of Tuesday's viewing window, the offense and defense matched up for a few drills, including one-on-one matchups in the red zone. Tyseer Denmark, the redshirt freshman receiver, showcased his speed, which stood out compared to other players. 

Franklin said after practice that offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki spoke highly of Denmark for being a player who is “very hungry to play.” He hasn’t seen much playing time since getting 17 snaps in the opener vs. Nevada. However, Franklin said he wouldn’t be surprised if Denmark earns his way onto the field soon — and he wishes more young players had a similar drive. 

“His number is going to get called at some point, and he’s going to be ready,” Franklin said. “And then there are other guys that are complaining that they should be playing, and their parents are sending text messages, and they’re going to get in the game and won’t be ready, and then we won’t hear anything from anybody. 

“There’s a little frustration with that, and there always is. It’s a small percentage, but what I want to make sure as coaches, and myself included, is that you don’t get frustrated with the 2 percent compared to the 98 percent who are doing it the right way.”

Kaytron Allen leads the running backs in practice

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) runs for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Kaytron Allen has been Penn State’s top back through three games, averaging 91 yards per game. On Tuesday, he was first in line for reps in the running back group. Allen ranks atop the Big Ten in yards per carry (8.0) among backs with at least 20 carries. Fellow Penn State back Nicholas Singleton is averaging just over half that (4.4).

Tuesday’s drills weren’t different from previous open practices. Singleton has seven more carries than Allen this season, but if Allen is performing better, the practice order could have been an indicator that the production load might shift.

 A change in the music 

Penn State football head coach James Franklin smiles during a practice session outside Holuba Hall in August. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the moments before the media viewing period, music blareds from the speakers outside Holuba Hall. Luke Bryan’s ‘Shake It For Me Girl’ played the week before Penn State’s first game against Nevada, and more country songs were shuffled before FIU came to town. 

Last week, there wasn’t any music, but on Tuesday it was a bit of a different vibe with rap music playing. The songs don’t play for long; once the media are inside the gates, it’s back to the normal whistles and yelling from coaches. 

Bursts of noise occasionally blast to mimic the Beaver Stadium crowd. Though the home-crowd noise is an advantage, it can also affect the defense. Last week, Franklin wanted the defense to get more practice with crowd noise, because it can be a challenge for linebackers Dom DeLuca and Amare Campbell (the players who wear the in-helmet communications system) to share those calls on the field.

“The crowd noise at practice, as a point of emphasis, has been helpful,” Penn State linebackers coach Dan Connor said last week. “It’s allowed us to work through any kinks that we might have had in that communication.”

The Nittany Lions return to action Sept. 27 against Oregon at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.