Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/629829
looks to have breakaway potential, as evidenced by his 33-yard burst against Georgia. Now for the bad news: Nearly every other facet of Penn State's kicking game needs major improvements. The Nittany Lions finished the season 12th in the Big Ten in punt returns, 11th in punting aver- age, seventh in kickoff coverage and 14th in PAT accuracy. That's going to have to change if they are to have any hope of competing with the better teams in the Big Ten's powerhouse East Division. How long will it take for Penn State to patch its many holes? That will likely depend on how quickly some of its younger players develop. At the punting spot, for example, Gillikin will almost certainly have an opportunity to com- pete for playing time right away. As a senior at Westminster (Ga.) High, he av- eraged 43.2 yards on 27 attempts during the regular season and put 14 punts in- side the opponent's 20-yard line. Given the inconsistency that Penn State has endured at this position for the past two seasons – inconsistency that has fre- quently exacerbated the field-position struggles its sluggish offense has created – it's safe to say this spot is up for grabs. The place-kicking spot may be in flux, too, depending on how things go on signing day. Davis and Julius combined to hit 18 of 20 field goal attempts, which sounds awfully good. But 14 of those at- tempts were from under 40 yards – a re- flection of Penn State's inability to score touchdowns once it got deep into the red zone. The Nittany Lions' longest field goals of the season were 40-yarders against San Diego State and Maryland. Moreover, the team had trouble with its directional kickoffs, and Julius missed three PATs. So there's plenty of room for improvement here. The Lions' personnel situation helps explain why they offered Nordin a schol- arship. The big question now is whether he will accept it. The Rockford, Mich., native gave the Nittany Lions a verbal commitment last July, but he's reported- ly been wavering and could end up at Michigan or Baylor. Will Nordin sign? If not, will the coaches bring in an invited walk-on? The answers to these ques- tions will likely shape the place-kicker battle next August. One other area in which the Lions need to improve is on punt returns. Thomp- kins gave them a jolt of much-needed speed but had trouble holding onto the ball at times. His fumble deep in Penn State territory against Michigan was a devastating blow – so devastating that the Lions turned to Garrity in their last two games. Garrity isn't a playmaker, as evidenced by his five fair catches vs. Georgia, but he can be counted on to field the ball. When your team isn't strong enough to withstand a lot of mis- takes, the safe move is often the smart move. ■ A T T H E 2 0 1 6 N I T T A N Y L I O N S