Blue White Illustrated

P O S T S E A S O N P R E V I E W >> P E N N S T A T E S ometimes the stories write them- selves. That's the case for freshman kicker Jake Pinegar, whose chapter in Penn State's football lore is only begin- ning. As a high school recruit coming out of Ankeny, Iowa, Pinegar did not earn a scholarship offer from the Iowa Hawkeyes, so it was only fitting that his breakout came against them. On a wet Beaver Stadium field in late October, Pinegar converted all three of his field goal attempts – from 45, 49 and 44 yards, no less. Those nine points, combined with three PATs, helped lift the Nittany Lions to a 30-24 win. To say he was the difference in the one-possession victory is irrefutable, and the timing and the magnitude of the feat were not lost on his teammates. "He was pumped," said special teams captain and punter Blake Gillikin, who serves as Pinegar's holder and temporary spokesman, as Penn State does not per- mit true freshmen to do interviews. Gillikin has gotten to know the place kicker well. They work together every day, and ever since that outing against the home-state Hawkeyes, Gillikin has no- ticed a newfound sense of belief within the underclassman. "To know a bunch of guys on that team [and to] know a bunch of Iowa fans and to perform like that in a game where it's tight and you need those kicks – I was really happy for him," Gillikin said. "It was great to see his confidence flow after that win. You could see that carry over in the game [against Wisconsin], so I think he has a great foundation to build off." In the last four games of the regular sea- son, Pinegar converted 6 of 8 field goal attempts, including his last three in a row. In the 22-10 victory over the Badgers, he tied the season-long of 49 yards that he had initially set vs. Iowa. His perform- ance during the second half of the season showed why head coach James Franklin and former special teams coordinator Charles Huff had been so eager to sign him out of Centennial High. He had played – and excelled – at a variety of po- sitions for the Jaguars, but when the coaches watched Pinegar kick in an in- door facility during a satellite camp at Northern Illinois, it was clear that his fu- ture was as a specialist. "He looked different," Franklin said. "There were four or five specialists there who had offers [from other colleges], and he looked different than them. That's how it should be, to be honest with you. It should stand out. He looked different kicking the ball. When the ball hit his foot, it sounded different and it looked different, and on that day, he kept hitting the ceiling, and nobody else was. It was banging off the ceiling, which is a good sign. So, yeah, we always thought he had ability." It was clear on his high school high- lights that he had skills. He played all over the field, after all. In addition to kicking and punting, the 6-foot-2, 197- pounder shined as a wide receiver and defensive back. Away from the gridiron, he also played soccer and held track- and-field school records in the long and high jump. His highlights were so impressive that when he first started hearing from college recruiters early in his high school career, they focused primarily on his offensive and defensive potential. Minnesota State and Western Illinois wanted him as a skill player, and Iowa State liked him as an athlete, although the Cyclones didn't ex- tend an offer. Pinegar had kicked a 51- yard field goal during his junior season, but the sample size was too small for teams to justify bringing him aboard as a kicker. Then came that visit to the NIU satellite camp, and his recruitment quickly changed. It wasn't just Franklin who came away impressed that day. He also received an offer from Northern Illinois to play whichever position he wanted. As Pinegar recalled before heading to Penn State, the Huskies' offer was "for kicker, wide receiver, DB – whatever, man, you got it. We want you." He eventually landed with the Nittany Lions after making his way to campus for the first time one month later. The coaches had him attempt 10 outdoor kickoffs and approximately 15 field goals into a large net. While he was kicking, Franklin blew whistles, ran at him and did what he could to disrupt Pinegar's focus. It was all part of the evaluation, Pinegar said afterward, "and I did very well dur- ing that." He committed while on campus that weekend, and both he and the coaches were eager to see what the future held. But they weren't ready to rush into it. Pinegar's technique was still raw when he arrived on campus, so the staff eased him into action as slowly as possible. Al- though he earned the starting spot right away as Penn State searched for Tyler Davis's replacement, Pinegar tried only one field goal in the season opener, a 32- yarder just before halftime to tie the score against Appalachian State. The Lions eventually won in overtime, 45-38. It was just the debut that the coaches wanted, but they still weren't ready yet to imme- diately unleash him. To avoid overload, Franklin and new special teams coordinator Phil Galiano called on Pinegar to attempt only three field goals in the team's first four games. BEST FOOT FORWARD Coaches' patient approach helps freshman kicker Jake Pinegar excel |

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