Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
2 0 1 5 P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L KEY PERSONNEL PK: Tyler Davis, Chris Gulla, Joey Julius; P: Robby Liebel, Daniel Pasquariello*; LS: Zach Ladonis, Tyler Yazujian*; H: Adam Geiger, Robby Liebel; KR: Grant Ha- ley*, Mark Allen, DeAndre Thompkins; PR: Gregg Garrity, Mark Allen, DeAn- dre Thompkins LOSSES PK: Sam Ficken*; H: Ryan Keiser*; PR: Jesse Della Valle* RISING STAR Joey "Big Toe" Julius is a former soccer player who by all accounts had a bright future in that sport before opting to pursue football. Special teams coordinator Charles Huff likes Julius's steely demeanor. Said the coach, "He believes whole- heartedly that he can make any kick." During the kicking competition that Penn State staged on Blue-White Sat- urday, Julius hit a 55-yarder that looked as though it would have cleared the crossbar from another 5 or 10 yards out. BIGGEST LOSS There's no need to overthink this one. Sam Ficken fin- ished his career as the fourth-leading scorer in school history. He ranked eighth in the Big Ten in scoring as a senior even though Penn State fielded the conference's lowest-scoring of- fense. Julius certainly has the poten- tial to be an able replacement, but for now, all we know is that he's got some big shoes to fill. NUMBERS GAME Of all the major special teams statistical categories, Penn State finished in the top half of the Big Ten in only two last year: field goal percentage (third, 82.8 percent) and kickoff returns (seventh, 20.9 yards per attempt). OUTLOOK Penn State has a terrific defense and a youthful offense. That combination usually produces close games, and close games amplify the importance of the special teams units. Last year, eight of the Lions' 13 games were decided by a touchdown or less. Thanks largely to Ficken, they won four of those games; indeed, two of those victories ended on walk-off kicks by the unflappable veteran. But Ficken is gone, and while Julius re- portedly had a strong spring, there's no telling what to expect when the games count. As Huff noted following the Blue-White Game, "When you have a rookie... there are going to be growing pains. It's magnified when you're a specialist because it's black or white – you either did or you didn't." The punter position is also crucial in that it will play a big part in the field- position battles that Penn State will be waging this fall. That's why the coaches' lukewarm assessment this spring has raised concerns. It appears that neither Liebel nor Pasquariello displayed the consistency that coach James Franklin wanted to see. And then there's the return game. The Lions finished in the middle of the Big Ten pack last year, both on punt returns (6.8 yards per attempt) and kickoff re- turns (20.9). This is one area in which Thompkins could make an impact as a redshirt freshman. At 5-foot-11, 187 pounds, he has a slight build that could make it hard for him to see action in a receiver corps that is loaded with big- ger, rangier players. But he was a tremendous return man at Swansboro High in Hubert, N.C., and could reprise that role at Penn State. – M.H. >> PLACE-KICKER NO NAME YR HT WT 99 Joey Julius R-Fr. 5-11 244 95 Tyler Davis R-Fr. 5-10 185 PUNTER 92 D. Pasquariello So. 6-0 204 95 Robby Liebel R-Fr. 6-2 201 HOLDER 31 Adam Geiger Jr. 5-9 200 95 Robby Liebel R-Fr. 6-2 201 LONG SNAPPER 44 Tyler Yazujian R-Jr. 6-0 251 41 Zach Ladonis R-So. 6-2 234 PUNT RETURNS 8 Mark Allen R-Fr. 5-7 186 3 D. Thompkins R-Fr. 5-11 187 KICKOFF RETURNS 15 Grant Haley So. 5-9 186 8 Mark Allen R-Fr. 5-7 186 * Starting experience in 2014 PHIL'S TAKE It will be a battle be- tween Julius and Davis to replace Ficken, who converted on 24 of 29 field goal attempts last season. Both of Penn State's aspiring kick- ers hit 55-yarders before the Blue- White Game. Punting is still a question mark, with Pasquariello and Liebel in the mix. As for the return game, there's reason to hope that Thompkins and Haley will bring a spark that's been missing in recent years. JOEY JULIUS Steve Manuel