Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1509432
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 3 31 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M side of the opponent's 20-yard line, but even though his numbers were not gaudy, Penn State was faring OK in one of the key metrics that coach James Franklin likes to track: average starting field position. On average, the Nittany Lions' first five opponents be- gan their drives at their own 27-yard line. Only two of the 61 drives by opponents in those games began on PSU's side of the field, and one of those was because of a fumbled kickoff. Of course, that's been due in large part to a ferocious defense and a high-flying offense that frequently ends its drives on the opponent's side of the field, even when it doesn't get points. But the ability to limit punt returns has also been a big part of PSU's success in that area. Support System Thompson's journey to becoming an American college football player began at Haileybury College in his homeland, where he played Australian rules football. He later moved on to Prokick Australia, an organization that trains Aussie athletes to compete for kicking jobs in American football at the college and pro levels. Started in 2007, Prokick has produced six Ray Guy Award winners, 85 All-Amer- icans and 190 scholarship-caliber players. Iowa punter Tory Taylor is also a Prokick alumnus, and he was one of the few bright