The Blue-White game is almost as big a chapter in Penn State football history as Joe Paterno.

The 52nd annual game, which will take place at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow in Beaver Stadium, has been around almost as long as Paterno, who begins his 53rd year of coaching at Penn State with the 2003 season.

The game has taken on different meanings for different players but has always served as a fan-friendly event. The expected crowd to witness the intrasquad scrimmage could be around 50,000.

The game will give the fans and media a chance to get a first look at what the 2003 version of Penn State football might look like. The areas that will be watched closely include the depleted offensive and defensive lines and the never-ending quarterback controversy.

However, the spotlight should shine brightest on the running back position.

Junior Mike Gasparato looks to have the edge on the rest of the field, which includes junior Pete Gilmore, redshirt freshman Donnie Johnson and sophomore Tim Shaw, among others. For Gasparato, this will be a chance to prove he can take over for the graduated Larry Johnson, and for Gilmore and others, this is a chance to show that they deserve a look. Before Larry Johnson established himself last season as a legitimate threat, the Lions used a tailback-by-committee approach for four seasons.

"[Tailback by committee] wouldn't be a problem for me," Gilmore said. "In the past it was Larry Johnson, Eric McCoo and Omar Easy. I don't see how it wouldn't be fine now."

As usual, Paterno will be watching this game from the radio booth as his assistant coaches will split up and coach against each other. While Paterno has stated that the quarterback position is junior Zack Mills' job to lose, many people still believe that redshirt sophomore Michael Robinson isn't far from being the starter.

Critics have called for Robinson's athletic talents to be used at running back, but Paterno has said Robinson will not be moved to running back. The decision has suited Robinson just fine.

"I came as a quarterback and Coach Paterno wants to give me every chance to show I'm a quarterback," Robinson said.

No matter who is at quarterback, he will have a veteran receiver to throw the ball to in senior Tony Johnson. Johnson caught 34 passes last season for 549 yards, and with Bryant Johnson graduated, the Blue-White game should be a preview of Tony Johnson as the go-to guy at receiver. Junior Gerald Smith looks to have the inside track over sophomores Kinta Palmer and Ernie Terrell at the other wide receiver spot .

"Gerald is the leading candidate for [the spot] given that he has plenty of experience," Mills said. "He caught some balls in some key situations."

The play in the trenches is where the Lions will be most inexperienced. They return just one starter each on the offensive and defensive lines -- left tackle Chris McKelvy and defensive end John Bronson, respectively. Bronson missed the coaches' clinic scrimmage two weekends ago due to injury but should play tomorrow.

With neither the offensive nor defensive line having much experience, tomorrow's game can be looked at as a chance for someone to step up and stand out. That is something McKelvy is calling for from his classmates.

"There is a lot of pressure from the coaches, on the field, and they push me," McKelvy said. "The juniors need to step up."