Penn State Sports Magazine
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3 2 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Punter Barney Amor took the road less traveled to become a special teams standout for the Nittany Lions H is bio in Penn State's football me- dia guide notes that Barney Amor is from Doylestown, Pa. That's accu- rate as far as it goes, but it doesn't begin to describe the path that brought the super senior punter to State College. In his 23 years, Amor has lived in three countries and two states. He holds citi- zenship in two countries and is eligible for citizenship in a third. He has played football for two universities. He has three degrees and is working on a fourth. "It's been a weird journey," Amor ad- mitted recently. "I think about it all the time." No matter how many stops that journey may have included prior to Amor's arrival, the Nittany Lions are quite happy that he eventually arrived on their doorstep. He has been one of the season's most pleas- ant surprises, a walk-on transfer who wasn't on the radar screens of very many PSU watchers during the offseason but has since turned out to be one of better players in the nation at his position. Through seven games, Amor was aver- aging 44.23 yards per attempt. That figure ranked 23rd nationally and had earned him a spot on the Ray Guy Award watch list at midseason, and his résumé only gets better the deeper you delve into it. In addition to his impressive average, Amor has been adept at pinning oppo- nents deep in their own territory, rank- ing fourth in the Big Ten with 15 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Amor was one of the unsung heroes of Penn State's season opener at Purdue. In the midst of a back-and-forth game in which field position played a critical role in the outcome, he forced the Boilermak- ers to start one drive at the 9-yard line and another at the 3. Making his first start at PSU, Amor averaged 46.9 yards, and the Nittany Lions prevailed 35-31. To coach James Franklin, Amor's suc- cess in his second season after transfer- ring from Colgate reflects not just physi- cal talent but also a disciplined mental approach to the game. "He's just been phenomenal," Franklin said. "To have a veteran guy like this who really understands what it takes to be suc- cessful [has been beneficial]. "I don't want this to come off the M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Man Man Of The Of The World World