Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 3 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Punter Franklin chose Florida Atlantic transfer Riley Thompson, a rugby-style punter from Australia, over redshirt freshman Alex Bacchetta coming out of preseason camp. The decision produced mixed results against West Virginia. Thompson's first punt as a Nittany Lion traveled just 29 yards before sailing out of bounds. However, the senior's second try early in the second half was considerably im- proved. From Penn State's 32, he sent one 46 yards to flip field position. Against Delaware, Thompson was barely needed. He punted twice, booting a 47-yarder that was fair caught inside the Blue Hens' 10-yard line and a 44-yarder that was fair caught at the 20. Calling it a more consistent showing overall, Franklin said Thompson's punts were something "to build on." Punt Return Penn State chose Kaden Saunders in preseason camp, and while the redshirt freshman receiver didn't have any big re- turns in the first two games, he did show an aptitude for the position's fundamentals: decision-making, catching the ball in traf- fic and preventing lost yards. "It's probably one of those things that goes unnoticed, but he just looked so comfortable and poised catching the football," Franklin said. "He also looked comfortable running up in there in traf- fic." In two games, Saunders averaged 6.0 yards on 5 returns, with his longest cover- ing 9 yards against Delaware. Kick Return The lone carryover from the 2022 sea- son, Penn State's kick return tandem has been fine to start the new campaign. With Nicholas Singleton back deep, complemented by his fellow sophomore running back, Kaytron Allen, the results have been limited to 2 returns for an aver- age of 22.5 yards per attempt. Following the Delaware game, Franklin said the Lions "have some things that have to get cleaned up" in the kicking game as a whole, but the kickoff return team has been showing its potential since last year. ■ Placekicking Competition Extends Into Season Sander Sahaydak's debut as Penn State's primary placekicker did not go as planned in the team's opener against West Virginia. The redshirt sophomore pulled a pair of short-to-midrange field goals to the right before giving way to Columbia transfer Alex Felkins, who knocked his only at- tempt through in the second half. The winner of the offseason contest to replace Jake Pinegar, Sahaydak faced the music with teammates at practice the day after the Lions' 38-15 victory over the Mountaineers, and it was a big step for the Bethleham, Pa., native. "Sander Sahaydak got up in front of the team on Sunday without me talking to him, without any- body talking to him," coach James Franklin said. "I usually end practice and I say something, and he said, 'Coach, I've got something to say.' He got up and just handled himself really well. I was really proud of him as a young man, like if it was my son. As a member of this team, as a teammate, I just thought he conducted himself really well. "I think he's earned everybody's respect. I thought what he did right there and what he said did it even more." Franklin said after the victory that the Nittany Lions wouldn't make any quick decisions about how to move forward at the kicker spot, noting that the battle between Sahaydak and Felkins, a senior, had been very close throughout August. "I would also say as tight as that competition was all camp, I don't think it was a shock to any- body on our team when we made the change [against West Virginia], because literally it was that close all training camp," Franklin explained. "But just like Felkins had to keep preparing because you never know when your number is going to get called, Sander has got to do the same thing. … As much as you can get them to do it, the second team and third team better be preparing as if they're the starter, because it can change like that." Penn State fans have seen this story before. Eleven years ago, Sam Ficken made just 1 of 5 field goals against Virginia in his second game as the team's starting kicker. Ficken, who was in atten- dance on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium, eventually bounced back to finish his career ranked second in program history in field goals made, and he's played in parts of four NFL seasons. "I tell the Ficken story all the time, and not just for our specialists, but for our team," Franklin told reporters. "I think it's a great example of trusting the process, not getting too high, not getting too low." Felkins was the Nittany Lions' starting kicker in Week 2 against Delaware but didn't attempt any field goals. He converted 8 extra points, while Sahaydak returned to convert a PAT after a touch- down early in the third quarter. — Sean Fitz Redshirt sophomore kicker Sander Sahaydak missed from 38 and 34 yards against West Virginia. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL