Penn State Sports Magazine
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 4 3 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M I n its first season under special teams coordinator Justin Lustig, Penn State's kicking game has, for the most part, been solid. The only area in which the Nittany Lions have clearly struggled has been field goal kicking, and they may have already addressed their deficiencies by making a person- nel change. Here's a look at how the special teams units grade out at midseason: Kickoffs Redshirt junior Gabriel Nwosu played a key role in neutralizing USC's Zacha- riah Branch, a first-team All-America return specialist last year, during the Li- ons' 33-30 overtime victory in Los An- geles on Oct. 12. Nwosu kicked off five times against the Trojans, and only two were returned, with the longest covering 16 yards. All the others went for touch- backs. In Penn State's first six games, Nwosu had touchbacks on 24 of his 38 kick- offs, though he did send two kicks out of bounds. Grade: B+ Field Goals Until recently, this was looking like it could be a big liability for Penn State. Af- ter winning the starting job in preseason camp, redshirt junior Sander Sahaydak missed 3 of 5 attempts in the Lions' first four games — two from 40 yards and an- other from 47. In a reprise of last year when he beat out Alex Felkins in August only to lose the spot shortly after the season began, Sa- haydak was replaced in the starting lineup by Ryan Barker. The redshirt freshman went 6 of 6 against UCLA and USC, in- cluding the winner in overtime against the Trojans. The longest of Barker's kicks was a 40-yarder against the Bruins, so we don't yet have a good idea about his range, but we do know he wasn't fazed by the pres- sure he faced when he lined up to finish off the Trojans. Thanks to Barker's strong performance, the Nittany Lions get a passing grade in this department. Grade: B Punts When it comes to punting, the less drama, the better. Penn State's punting situation has been almost entirely drama- free so far. No blocks. No shanks. No long returns. Really, no returns of any kind. Junior Riley Thompson averaged 42.4 yards on 16 attempts in the first half of the regular season. Opponents attempted only 1 return during that six-game span and didn't gain any yards. Twelve of Thompson's punts were fair caught, and six pinned opponents inside their 20. That'll do nicely. Grade: B+ Return Teams Redshirt sophomore Kaden Saunders has not been completely healthy this sea- son and missed the games against UCLA and USC entirely. In warmups prior to the UCLA game on Oct. 5, he was seen on the field with his left foot in a walking boot. Even when Saunders was on the field, the Lions weren't looking for big punt re- turns; they just wanted him to field the ball cleanly, which he did. His primary replacement, sophomore defensive back Zion Tracy, has done that, too. The Lions were averaging 4.3 yards per punt return, ranking 16th in the Big Ten, but they hadn't suffered any game- altering turnovers, so … mission accom- plished. On kickoff returns, junior Nicholas Sin- gleton averaged 19.6 yards on 5 attempts through Penn State's first six games, one of which he missed with an injury. Grade: C Coverage Teams Penn State knew going into the USC game that it couldn't afford to give Branch an opportunity to make game-changing plays on punt and kickoff returns. "He has our attention for sure," coach James Franklin noted prior to the trip. Branch finished with just 29 total re- turn yards, all on a pair of kickoff run- backs. It was an underappreciated part of Penn State's victory. During the season's first half, the Nit- tany Lions gave up an average of 19.6 yards on 8 kickoff returns, ranking 71st in the FBS. Penn State was tied for second in the country with no yards surrendered on 1 punt return. Grade: B Midseason Grades: Midseason Grades: SPECIAL TEAMS SPECIAL TEAMS Reliable in most areas, Penn State's kicking game has been a key component of its 6-0 start M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Punter Riley Thompson averaged 42.4 yards on 16 attempts in the first half of the regular season. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS