Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/797655
A pair of unblocked Indiana defensive linemen were bearing down on Blake Gillikin as he picked up the loose foot- ball at Penn State's 15-yard line. One of them had a fistful of jersey, and it looked as though he was going to make the Nit- tany Lion freshman pay dearly for mis- handling the snap on a first-quarter punt attempt. But Gillikin somehow managed to stay on his feet just long enough to launch a rugby-style kick downfield – a pretty good kick, too. The ball hung in the air so long that Hoosiers return man Mitchell Paige was forced to call for a fair catch. Instead of starting from Penn State's red zone, Indiana began from its own 40 and ended up punting the ball right back to the Lions a few plays later. Gillikin's punt went into the record books as a 22-yarder, but it was one of the more impressive feats of athleticism in a Penn State season that was full of brilliant moments. Which makes sense, because Gillikin doesn't regard himself as a one-tool player, the kind of guy whose skill set is limited to a single very specific task. He regards himself as an athlete who can do a lot of things, in- cluding flights of improvisation like the one he pulled off in Bloomington. "I played three sports in high school, and I've been in an athletic environment before," he said. "That's how I want to express myself to my teammates and to everyone else watching, that I'm an ath- lete as well as a punter. People don't nec- essarily think of specialists as athletes. "Having an athletic background defi- nitely helps in figuring out what to do quickly in that kind of situation. … It's all about taking a situation that could really go poorly and making it less poor, less bad. That's what I've tried to do when things like that have come up." That makes sense, too. Punters are al- ways being called upon to make the best of bad situations. It's the nature of the job. The offense has come up short on third down, so now it's time to surrender possession. That moment against Indi- ana? It was just a slightly more extreme version of the pain mitigation that Gillikin was doing on a regular basis last season. And make no mistake, Gillikin miti- gated a fair bit of pain. Punting had been one of the Lions' more vexing problems the previous two seasons, but Gillikin won the starting job in preseason prac- tice and went on to enjoy an impressive debut. He averaged 42.8 yards per at- tempt to rank third in the Big Ten, with 18 fair catches and 22 punts landing in- side the opponent's 20-yard line. Gillikin looks back on it now as a learning experience, saying he was "rel- atively satisfied." A native of Smyrna, Ga., he had wrapped up his high school career in spectacular fashion. In West- minster's overtime victory over Blessed Trinity in the Class AAA state champi- onship game, he finished with two punts of more than 60 yards, three field goals, including a 53-yarder, and six kickoffs, none of which were returnable. James Franklin, who was on hand for the game along with special teams coordinator Charles Huff, called it "as impressive a performance as we've ever been around." So Gillikin had some big-game experience when he arrived on campus last summer. Even so, he was nervous before taking the field for the first time in Penn State's opener against Kent State. "I definitely had some butterflies," he admitted. "It's natural to get nervous before games. But your first collegiate game? That's a lot different. In high school, you're not playing in front of 107,000 every week, so that was definitely a big change." Gillikin sent his first punt soaring 49 yards to the Golden Flashes' 18, where to read plays the way Golden did. OUTLOOK Apke was listed as the pri- mary backup to Allen last year at free safety, but spring will open with Apke as the eldest candidate to take over the strong safety spot. He's played in every game in the last two seasons and started once last year at strong safety when Golden was out. Recruited as a wide receiver, Apke may not be as physical as Golden was when playing close to the line of scrimmage, but he does have speed, veteran wherewithal and a knowledge of the game. There will be more than a few chal- lengers for Apke to fend off this spring, a couple of whom might have a more well-rounded repertoire for the position. So in all likelihood, the Lions will use a rotation here. Monroe's challenge could be formi- dable, as the reports about him last season only grew more effusive as the year went along. A strong spring could quickly put him atop the depth chart. Scott is now one year removed from his days as a running back, thus more settled into his DB spot. A spe- cial teams standout, he has the requi- site physicality. The concern is whether his technique is sufficient for the position. He stands to benefit substantially from another spring in the defensive backfield. A couple of other newcomers could factor in here as well. Garrett Taylor made the switch from cornerback to safety before this spring, and while it's unclear if he'll practice at free or strong, he'll have an opportunity this spring to make an impact. Then, of course, there is five-star early en- rollee Lamont Wade. Although he was recruited as a cornerback, the coaches will test different ways to fit him into the lineup in certain scenarios, and safety might be one of the spots, con- sidering the depth and experience at CB. Wade's best opportunity initially might be at nickel back, especially against spread offenses. If he's going to be effective in that role, as many predict he will, PSU is soon to find out this spring. ■ P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> | SKY'S THE LIMIT Blake Gillikin aims to be even better as a sophomore