Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/721458
O T H E R M A T C H U P S THE LOWDOWNDespite the fact that Penn State's special teams were among the worst in the Big Ten last fall, the ad- vantage here still goes to the Nittany Lions. It appears that true freshman Blake Gillikin has won the first-team punting job coming off a senior high school season in which he averaged close to 45 yards per attempt. Redshirt junior PK Tyler Davis converted on all eight of his field goal attempts and all 11 PATs last season and appears ready to reprise his starting role in 2016, while the punt- and kickoff-return jobs are up for grabs. Sanders could play a role here. Kent State averaged only 3.7 yards per punt return and 18.6 yards per kickoff return in 2015. Shane Hynes converted on 7 of 11 field goal attempts. The punting job is open following the graduation of veteran Anthony Me- chiori. // EDGEPenn State SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWNThis is the fiBh time Penn State has played Kent State. The Nittany Lions have the four previous contests: 21-6 in 1965, 32-10 in 2003, 24-0 in 2010, and 34-0 in 2013. Paul Haynes was in his first season as the Golden Flashes' coach in the 2013 game, and he also made several trips to Beaver Stadium as a defensive assistant coach with Ohio State. // EDGEPenn State THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN This will be Haynes' fourth season as Kent State's head coach. He has struggled, to say the least, posting a 9-26 record. Many believe this could be Haynes' final year as Kent State's head coach if he doesn't post a .500 record this fall. // EDGEPenn State COACHING STAFF A U G U S T 3 1 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 5 catchers are back in 2016. That group is led by James, who had 28 catches for 287 yards last fall. Senior Kris White was the Golden Flashes third-leading receiver with 22 receptions for 229 yards. Sophomore Antwan Dixon was supposed to be a key player this year after catching 26 passes for 355 yards in 2015, but he will miss the season with a blood disorder. Penn State's pass defense was a mixed bag last year. The Lions allowed the third- fewest yards in the Big Ten but the defensive backs posted only six interceptions. Junior CB Grant Haley and sophomore CB John Reid led the defense with two interceptions apiece. Allen was the Nittany Lions' second- leading tackler with 81 total tackles. // KEY MATCHUP Reid will be looking to keep James under wraps, while Sick- els will battle Reda in hope of putting some pressure on Kent State's quarterbacks. // EDGEPenn State