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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> HAMLER TIME C O V E R S T O R Y On the field and off, wideout K.J. Hamler has been making noise for the Nittany Lions in his first collegiate season ere's how it was supposed to work: Johnathan Thomas was supposed to stand at the goal line and tell K.J. Hamler whether to bring the kickoff out of the end zone or call for a touchback. Appalachian State had kicked off five times previously, and five times Thomas had told Hamler to shut it down. There was no reason to think it wouldn't happen again. But with Penn State trailing the Moun- taineers by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and the biggest upset of the sea- son's opening weekend seemingly brewing in University Park, Thomas didn't offer any discernable signal. The ball had sailed into a kind of gray area: too deep to make a return attempt advisable but not deep enough to rule it out. So Hamler had to make the call himself. He hesitated for a moment, then stutter-stepped, seemingly unsure what to do. And then he took off. "I just saw the clock," Hamler said. "I knew it was the fourth quarter. We had two minutes left, and I had to make a play. I had to make the play." To the delight of a near-capacity crowd that had spent much of the preceding 15 minutes with heads buried in hands, make a play was exactly what he did. Hamler brought the ball out of the end zone, slipped a tackle at the 7-yard line and found a lane down the right sideline. Fifty-two yards later, Penn State had new hope in what would turn out to be a 45-38 overtime victory. The decision to bring the ball out was, as Hamler admitted after the game, a "leap of faith." But it was entirely in keeping with his approach to football, and to life. The 5-foot-9, 173-pound wide receiver was playing in his first game since suffering a torn ACL two years ago. He had missed his entire senior season at IMG Academy in Florida, along with his true freshman season at Penn State. But in the Nittany Lions' opener, he wasn't think- ing about his injury, nor was he dwelling on any of the other ways his college debut might have gone awry. "I've learned that you can't be scared," Hamler said. "You've got to go ahead and take that risk, like I did today. I took that risk in rehab. I was getting better, strength- ening the mobility of my knee, and it came together today." Hamler has been one of Penn State's starting receivers, claiming a first-team position in the slot after a buzz-worthy | HAPPY RETURNS Hamler takes back an Appalachian State kickoff 52 yards to start Penn State's comeback in what would become a 45-38 overtime victory. The redshirt freshman re- ceiver led the Lions with 120 all-purpose yards in the game. Photo by Steve Manuel H

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