Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/144988
PUNTER | LETTERMEN RETURNING PK: Sam Ficken*; P: Alex Butterworth* LETTERMEN LOST P: Joe Baker; KS: Emery Etter, Michael Fuhrman RISING STAR We won't know for a few months whether he's bound for stardom as a true freshman, but incoming run-on Chris Gulla certainly has inspired plenty of speculation about what his role might be this fall. Considered the No. 19 prospect in the nation by Chris Sailer Kicking, he's reportedly been told he will have a chance to compete at both place kicker and punter, and he intends to do just that. As Gulla told BWI in May, "I really do feel that I can win both of these jobs." BIGGEST LOSS The Nittany Lions lost two of their fiercest special teams players with the departure of running backs Michael Zordich and Derek Day. Day led all offensive players with nine tackles last year, five of which were solo stops. Zordich, a former linebacker, was a big hitter on special teams throughout his career, with nine tackles as a junior (most among offensive players) and four last year. NUMBERS GAME Jesse Della Valle had Penn State's longest punt return last year (29 yards) and its longest kickoff return (46 yards). OUTLOOK The Nittany Lions have to get a bigger contribution from their special teams this fall if they hope to be as competitive as they were a year ago. Period. Full stop. Last year the kicking game was the weakest component of Bill O'Brien's "complementary football" formula. It was a decisive factor in the loss at Virginia, and even after the team's place-kicking situation improved in the second half of the season as Ficken made some adjustments to his form, the return game didn't provide much of a lift. The Lions finished last in the Big Ten in kickoff returns (18.1 yards per attempt), ninth in punt returns (6.1 yards), 11th in net punting average (34.5) and 10th in kickoff coverage (38.7). They were also eighth in field goal percentage (.667) and 10th in PAT percentage (.951). Now, with a newcomer at quarterback and several of the team's defensive leaders having graduated, there's less margin for error. Some big plays in the kicking game – a few field-shortening returns or maybe even a touchdown or two – would be most welcome as the coaches look to take as much pressure as possible off of the offensive and defensive units. Della Valle emerged as the team's main punt returner last year thanks to his reliable hands. But the summer depth chart also includes freshman Richy Anderson, along with returnees Bill Belton and Trevor Williams. Clearly the Lions would like to develop more breakaway potential without risking more turnovers. Anderson is also likely to get a tryout on kick returns, along with speedy redshirt freshmen Akeel Lynch and Eugene Lewis. The coaches would probably prefer not to risk Lynch on kick returns, as he figures prominently in their plans on offense, but Penn State needs to break a big play now and again. Belton's longest kick return last year (on a team-high nine attempts) was 24 yards. * Starting experience in 2012 NO 45 37 NAME Alex Butterworth Chris Gulla YR Sr. Fr. HT WT 5-10 206 6-2 200 Jr. Fr. 6-2 6-2 Jr. Sr. 6-1 205 5-10 206 Sr. Sr. 6-3 6-0 240 292 Jr. Jr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. 5-10 6-0 6-0 5-11 6-1 6-1 205 194 214 171 189 201 Jr. Fr. Jr. So. 6-1 5-11 5-10 6-1 194 171 205 189 KICKER 97 37 Sam Ficken Chris Gulla 183 200 HOLDER 23 45 Ryan Keiser Alex Butterworth KICK SNAPPER 40 60 Glenn Carson (punt) Ty Howle (PAT/FG) KICKOFF RETURNERS 1 15 22 19 10 7 Bill Belton Alex Kenney Akeel Lynch Richy Anderson Trevor Williams Eugene Lewis PUNT RETURNERS 39 19 1 10 Jesse Della Valle Richy Anderson Bill Belton Trevor Williams