For the Penn State football team, this spring has been about developing young talent and providing opportunities to players with much potential but seemingly little game experience.

The 2006 Blue-White game, to be played at 2 p.m. tomorrow in Beaver Stadium, will continue the trend.

Among the players slated to sit out are All-Americans Levi Brown and Paul Posluszny and rising senior running back Austin Scott. Tony Hunt's status is unknown, as the returning starting tailback sat out a scrimmage on April 8. Hunt suffered a high ankle sprain in the FedEx Orange Bowl.

Brown is resting so that the coaches can get a good look at younger players on the offensive line. Posluszny has been held out of all contact activities this spring as he gets his injured knee back to full strength. Scott injured his knee in practice a week ago.

As of press time, the Blue-White rosters had not been released to the media. Brown said on Wednesday that although he could not say with certainty, he thought the format of the game would resemble that of 2005, when the Blue team was represented by the first-team offense and defense, while the second-team units manned the White squad.

Rising junior quarterback Anthony Morelli will get to show off his heralded throwing arm while an offensive line with no collegiate starting experience blocks for him.

"It gives the young guys a chance to see what it's going to be like when the coaches won't tell you what to do every single play," Brown said. "It builds relationships out there."

The defense will feature a new secondary, responsible for replacing the four seniors from last year's starting defensive backfield. Justin King and Tony Davis are penciled in as the first-team corners, while rising seniors Nolan McCready and Donnie Johnson will play at the safety spots.

"Donnie Johnson has really come to the front and stepped up," Posluszny said. "Justin and Tony have done really well this spring."

The defensive line will be led by tackle Jay Alford, who is confident that the crew replacing Tamba Hali, Matthew Rice and Scott Paxson will prove more than capable.

Ed Johnson returns to defensive tackle after missing last season for disciplinary reasons, while Jim Shaw and Josh Gaines are expected to play big roles on the ends.

"I love the Blue-White game because it gives us that almost-game mentality and you have fans out there -- I love it," Alford said.

Alford also says Jim Shaw is so strong that he can almost lift a house. When asked to comment, Shaw insisted he prefers to stick to lifting weights.

Even so, the talents of previously unheralded defensive players will still be on display tomorrow.

One such player is Sean Lee, a linebacker not expected to start in 2006, but who should see significant playing time with the first-team defense tomorrow. The rising sophomore spent this spring filling in for Posluszny and will likely move back to a reserve role and special teams player once the winner of the 2005 Butkus and Bednarik awards returns to the lineup.

In the 2005 version of the Blue-White game, Posluszny stayed on the field for a few plays even after the rest of the Nittany Lion first-team defense called it a day.

Despite a strong desire to compete and play with his teammates, Posluszny understands that sitting out the spring game is for his own good.

"The only way I'll get out on the field is if I run out there to give Anthony Morelli a high-five after he throws a touchdown pass or something," Posluszny said.