Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540433
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P rior to the start of the 2025 season, James Franklin said he was hoping to see Penn State's special teams units play a more impactful role this fall than they did in 2024 when they were in their first year under the direction of coor- dinator Justin Lustig. "Last year on special teams, I thought we didn't really lose any games, and I don't know if we necessarily won any games," Franklin said. "I think we've got a chance to win some games on special teams this year with all those guys back and Lustig in Year 2." Six games into the season, the Nittany Lions' kicking game is functioning much as it did last fall. There have been a hand- ful of memorable moments, both posi- tive and negative, but for the most part, the specialists have quietly gotten the job done. That may not be exactly what Franklin had been looking for prior to the abrupt end of his tenure at Penn State, but in a season full of unpleasant surprises, there's something to be said for depend- ability. Here's a look at how the units grade out at midseason. Kicker Redshirt sophomore Ryan Barker has been one of the Big Ten's most depend- able kickers, hitting 10 of 11 attempts in the first half of the regular season. His longest kick was a 49-yarder to open the scoring on White Out night against Or- egon. Barker's only unsuccessful attempt came on a blocked 53-yard try on the final play of the first half versus Florida International. He's also hit all 20 of his PATs, including a high-pressure kick to tie the score against Oregon with 30 sec- onds remaining in regulation. Barker has been one of a handful of Nit- tany Lions who have truly shined this year. Grade: A Punter The Lions' incumbent starter, senior Riley Thompson, has given way to Gabe Nwosu this year. Franklin noted that the redshirt senior, who had previously been used almost exclusively as a kickoff specialist, boasted an "A ball" that "is as good as any 'A ball' we've had here." Considering that two of Franklin's for- mer punters are currently starting in the NFL, that's high praise. Nwosu proved the wisdom of that de- cision when he boomed a 67-yard punt against Florida International on his sec- ond attempt as the starter. Prior to Penn State's visit to Iowa, he was averaging 45.5 yards, a figure that was seventh overall in the Big Ten. Like Barker, he's been a very reliable contributor. Grade: A Returns Junior safety King Mack has the season's best return, a 73-yarder against Nevada that got PSU's offense started inside the Wolf Pack's red zone. How- ever, Mack was taken off kick- return duty after being promoted to a starting role in the secondary. Redshirt freshman running back Corey Smith was the deep man against UCLA and Northwestern. On a more discouraging note, PSU got caught napping when the Bruins tried an onside kick in the first quarter. They easily recovered and went on to score a field goal to put the visitors in a 10-0 hole before even touching the ball on offense. On punt returns, three wide receivers — seniors Devonte Ross and Trebor Peña and redshirt freshman Tyseer Denmark — have combed to average 8.0 yards on 11 attempts. There have been no game- changing runbacks to date, but there was a costly muff against Northwestern. Grade: B Kick Coverage In the third quarter of the UCLA game, the Lions came through with a play they desperately needed — a punt block by se- nior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton that redshirt senior receiver Liam Clifford recovered for a touchdown. It was one of 3 punt blocks this season for PSU, with red- shirt senior linebacker Dominic DeLuca doing so against FIU and Dennis-Sutton smothering a Northwestern attempt. Otherwise, there isn't much to say here. Opponents were averaging 19.7 yards on kickoff returns and 6.0 on punt returns, with no touchdowns allowed. Grade: B MIDSEASON GRADES SPECIAL TEAMS PSU's kicking game proves reliable in the season's first half M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Ryan Barker had hit 10 of 11 field goal tries heading into the Nittany Lions' visit to Iowa on Oct. 18. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS