Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1430714
1 6 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M By The Numbers 44.6 JORDAN STOUT'S career punting av- erage through his first nine games this season, the best average in school history by nearly 1.5 yards per punt. Thanks to the senior specialist, Penn State was ranked second in the country in net punting average at 45.06 yards. Stout has also been handling the Nittany Li- ons' kickoff and field goal duties. His 91.6 percent touchback rate on kickoffs (44 of 48) was tops in the FBS among kickers with 40 or more attempts. 46.9 Blake Gillikin's punting average for the New Orleans Saints in October. Of the 17 punts the former Nittany Lion attempted during the month, he had 10 downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. During one spectacular stretch, he landed four of six punts inside the 3-yard line. It was enough to earn him NFC Special Teams Player of the Month honors. After the Saints' 33-22 victory against Washington on Oct. 11, in which he had three punts in a row land inside the 3, Gillikin won praise from coaches and teammates alike. New Orleans coach Sean Payton singled him out repeatedly in his postgame news conference, prompting Saints running back Alvin Kamara to note, "That's the most I heard Sean love on a punter." 242 Receiving yards by senior wideout Jahan Dot- son against Maryland in Penn State's 31-14 victory in College Park on Nov. 6. Dotson broke the school record for most receiving yards in a game, surpassing Deon Butler's 216-yard performance against Northwestern in 2006. Included in Dotson's total were touchdown catches of 38, 21 and 86 yards. The latter was tied for the fourth-longest pass play in school history. With his performance against the Terrapins, Dotson became the only Power Five receiver to top 240 yards and score three TDs in a game this season (as of Nov. 9). PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS 1st Penn State's seed in the Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament. The Nittany Lions finished the regular sea- son with a 10-6-1 overall record and a 6-2-0 mark in conference play. The Big Ten regular-season crown was the sixth in school history and the team's first since 2013 4 Interceptions by senior safety Ji'Ayir Brown heading into Penn State's home finale against Rutgers. It's the most interceptions by a Penn State player since cornerback Am- ani Oruwariye had four during the 2017 season. Brown's 87-yard pick- six against Maryland was the fifth-longest interception return in school history and clinched a 31-14 victory over the host Terrapins on Nov. 6. The Big Ten leader in interceptions, Brown was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week fol- lowing his big afternoon in College Park, which also included a fumble recovery to end a Maryland drive that had reached the Penn State red zone. 12.5 Tackles for loss by senior defensive end Arnold Ebiketie through Penn State's first nine games. The Temple transfer was leading the Big Ten in that department and was tied for ninth in the country. 24 Kills by senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord in a 3-2 victory by the Penn State women's volleyball team over Michigan State on Nov. 7 at Rec Hall. Hord, who hit .535 to help the Nittany Lions recover after dropping the third and fourth sets, surpassed her previous career-best per- formance, a 21-kill effort in a 3-2 loss at Wisconsin earlier this season. Through Penn State's first 24 matches, the Lexington, Ky., native was leading the Big Ten with a .472 hitting percentage. 29 Appearances in the NCAA Tournament by the Penn State field hockey team in Char Morett-Cur- tiss' 35 seasons as head coach. That total includes seven national bids in the past 10 years. The Nittany Lions trav- eled to the University of Maryland on Nov. 12 to open this year's tourney with a first-round game against Syracuse, an opponent they had not faced since 2014.