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STATE COLLEGE &#8212; The autograph line for the running backs &#8212; namely Saquon Barkley &#8212; wound and stretched well away from Beaver Stadium before Saturday&#8217;s Blue-White Game.That was the most the crowd got to see Penn State&#8217;s electric tailback. Though he suited up in full pads for the game, the coaches elected to not tempt fate, keeping him on the sideline for the full afternoon.No injury to report. Just not taking any chances.&#8220;Saquon went all spring,&#8221; Lions coach James Franklin said. &#8220;We know what we have with Saquon. But it&#8217;s a fine line. He still has areas for growth.&#8220;But to go live in the spring game &#8230; it didn&#8217;t make a lot of sense.&#8221;Mark Allen (107 total yards, five catches) and Andre Robinson (57 total yards, touchdown, two catches) got to show off instead.Both running backs showed some nice balance on their cuts, able to stay upright in traffic. Allen started with the first-teamers on the Blue squad and Robinson was originally with the backups on the White before the two switched sides in the second half.It was Robinson who broke free with an impressive 28-yard touchdown run down the right sideline to highlight the day for the backs.&#8220;Mark and Andre have done a fantastic job this spring,&#8221; offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead said. &#8220;Competition makes everybody better. There&#8217;s a high standard set with Saquon, and it&#8217;s very exciting.&#8221;Infirmary reportThe full list of scholarship players who did not play: S Troy Apke, Barkley, LB Brandon Bell, OL Brendan Brosnan, DE Ryan Buchholz, DT Kam Carter, WR Irvin Charles, DT Parker Cothren, OL Brendan Mahon, S Jarvis Miller, S Ayron Monroe, S John Petrishen, RB Johnathan Thomas, LB Nyeem Wartman-White, OL Chasz Wright and QB Jake Zembiec.Wartman-White has sat out the spring as he finishes his rehab from a torn ACL. Apke had his right arm in a cast and sling. Petrishen was on crutches with his foot in a boot.The only other player Franklin had specifically mentioned as being injured was Mahon, though most of the others on the list were likely banged up as well.Beh out in front?One position battle to keep an eye on in the summer will be at right tackle. Scranton Prep grad Noah Beh started with the first-teamers on Saturday, rotating with Paris Palmer, who had moved to the right side with Andrew Nelson taking over at left tackle.&#8220;The competition with Noah Beh and Paris and all the tackles we have going now is going to be interesting come summer,&#8221; Franklin said.Award timePenn State handed out its spring ball awards at halftime with wideout Saeed Blacknall and defensive end Evan Schwan being named the team&#8217;s most improved players on offense and defense, respectively.During the game, Blacknall hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Trace McSorley, making an adjustment on the ball in midair to come back for the catch at the side of the end zone.&#8220;Fantastic work ethic,&#8221; Moorhead said of Blacknall. &#8220;He&#8217;s really committed to the process. &#8230; I don&#8217;t know that he had more than five drops the entire spring.&#8221;As for Schwan, it was the second straight Blue-White Game where he came up with some big plays. The fifth-year pass rusher was a handful for Lake-Lehman grad Connor McGovern, as the true freshman was lined up at right tackle for the White squad.Schwan was able to cut inside of the block for a clear path to quarterback Tommy Stevens in the end zone and was awarded a safety.Long snapper Ty Yazujian won the new special teams honor and the &#8220;Total Commitment&#8221; award went to wideout DaeSean Hamilton and linebacker Brandon Smith.Recruiting cornerAccording to multiple recruiting services, more than 70 high school prospects were scheduled to be in attendance for the scrimmage, which typically leads to a commitment or two each year.And the Lions indeed picked up two new pledges before kickoff, both on the offensive line.Pittsburgh&#8217;s <a href="http://247sports.com/player/cj-thorpe-77881" target="_blank">C.J. Thorpe</a> and New Jersey&#8217;s <a href="http://247sports.com/player/robert-martin-82062" target="_blank">Robert Martin</a> both gave a verbal commitment to Franklin in person, boosting the Lions&#8217; 2017 class to six members. The soon-to-be high school seniors made their decisions public on Twitter.&#8220;After long consideration with my family, I would like to announce I am committing to Penn State University,&#8221; wrote Thorpe, who is the son of former Lions running back Chris Thorpe and the cousin of former Penn State basketball player Geno Thorpe.The four-star interior linemen became the Lions&#8217; top-rated recruit for 2017 in the 247Sports Composite rankings. Thorpe had recently visited Auburn and former Penn State offensive line coach Herb Hand before returning home and choosing the Lions.At 6-foot-3, Thorpe would most likely develop as a guard in college. Martin is listed at 6-foot-5 and has the ability to play tackle as he fills out. He picked the Lions over offers from Boston College, Rutgers and Virginia Tech, among others.&#8220;I&#8217;ve never been so happy in my life to say that I have committed to my dream school,&#8221; Martin wrote. &#8220;I can&#8217;t wait to pursue my education and football career at the next level.&#8221;Penn State&#8217;s four other commitments for 2017 &#8212; Cincinnati QB Sean Clifford, Harrisburg DL Damion Barber, Virginia DL Yetur Matos and Virginia LB Dylan Rivers &#8212; are hoping to convince another recruit to join on later this week.Perhaps the main target for those early members of the class was Delaware linebacker <a href="http://247sports.com/Player/Avery-Roberts-79040" target="_blank">Avery Roberts</a>, who was also on hand Saturday. The Penn State pledges all changed their Twitter handles to &#8220;AveryToPSU&#8221; earlier in the week.Roberts had previously announced he would make his college decision on April 21, with Penn State and Nebraska his top choices along with Clemson, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Stanford.Penn State also has two players already committed to the 2018 recruiting class &#8212; Harrisburg defensive lineman Micah Parsons and former Wyoming Valley West offensive lineman Chris Bleich.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Penn State running back Saquon Barkley signs autographs for fans outside of Beaver Stadium before the Blue-White spring game on Saturday in State College. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Barkley-BlueWhite.jpg</photo0><caption0>Penn State running back Saquon Barkley signs autographs for fans outside of Beaver Stadium before the Blue-White spring game on Saturday in State College. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Derek Levarsedlevarse@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse</shirttailMeta></div>

Saquon Barkley takes a backseat for Blue-White Game