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Missed field goals spell disaster for PSU A LONELY FEELING MATT HERB | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M C HARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – It's not about the kicker, Bill O'Brien said following Penn State's 17-16 loss to Virginia. Not entirely. "The kicker is always the one to get blamed, but it's the whole opera- tion: the snap, the hold, the kick. We have to take a look at that," Penn State's first-year coach said. "There is no substitute for hard work." The kicking game is of paramount concern for Penn State in the after- math of a rough afternoon against the Cavaliers. Sam Ficken went 1 of 5 on his field goal attempts, missing from 40, 38, 20 and 42 yards. His only successful attempt was a 32- yarder early in the fourth quarter. He also had a PAT blocked. The last of those field goal tries, a 42-yarder in the rain on the game's final play, never really had a chance. The snap appeared to be low, and while holder Ryan Keiser got control of the ball, Ficken's kick went wide left, much to the delight of the crowd at Scott Stadium. Ficken's teammates echoed their coach following the game, emphasiz- ing the big picture rather than look- ing for a scapegoat in the wake of a heartbreaking loss. "It happens," quarterback Matt McGloin said. "It's not what won or lost us the game. A couple plays here and there lost it. Sam did not lose us the game whatsoever." "We told him to keep his head up," cornerback Stephon Morris added. "We're all going through the same thing. Nobody said anything negative to him. It's not his fault. You can't blame one person." Ficken is a sophomore who went 1 of 2 in limited action last season. He was not available for interviews after the game. While the kicking situation is the Lions' most acute concern right now, it's unclear whether they have an- Steve Manuel WIDE LEFT Ficken missed 4 of his 5 field goals, including a 42-yard potential game-winner. other option. The other kickers on the roster are walk-ons Kevin DiSanto and Matt Marcincin. Senior receiver Evan Lewis has kicking ex- perience, but he went 1 for 5 last season before he was replaced by Anthony Fera. Fera transferred to Texas in the off-season. O'Brien said that he planned to discuss the kicking situation with his assistant coaches after returning to University Park. "We'll have to go back as a staff and talk about it," he said. "But Sam is our kicker. We need to see what things we can do to help Sam get better. "Again, it's not all on the kicker. We had some plays in the red area we could have called better, I could have called better plays, we could have ex- ecuted better, so it's never always on the kicker. It's a team sport, and we have to figure out other ways to im- prove." S E P T E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 2 6 LINEBACKERSMichael Mauti's late fumble recovery and Mike Hull's big blitz capped a strong effort. GRADE A DEFENSIVE BACKS Virginia found some seams in the middle of the field and converted some long third downs. But the Lions played well enough to win this one. GRADEB- SPECIAL TEAMS The good: a successful fake punt in the first half. The bad: everything else. Sam Ficken missed 4 of 5 field goal attempts and had a PAT blocked. This gives indication of being a major liability all season. GRADE F COACHES Once again, Bill O'Brien shoul- dered the blame, saying he could have coached better. Maybe, but the Lions' problems had more to do with execution than strategy. GRADEB CROWD It wasn't a full house, but the noise at Scott Stadium seemed to give PSU's offense trouble. GRADEB B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M GAME GRADES QUARTERBACKSMatt McGloin gets bonus points for returning after hurting his throwing elbow, and he made the big throw that Penn State needed to get its offense on track. GRADEB RUNNING BACKSDerek Day ran hard but hurt his shoulder. Curtis Dukes fin- ished the game for Penn State, which is quickly running out of running backs. GRADEC+ RECEIVERS Allen Robinson was having a tough day before making a diving catch that briefly turned things around. GRADEB- OFFENSIVE LINE Penn State averaged 2.9 yards a carry and seemed to have some trouble with Virginia's blitz in the first half. GRADEC DEFENSIVE LINE Started out good and only got better. Deion Barnes forced a fumble in the fourth quarter, and Jor- dan Hill had a sweet interception in the second. GRADE A

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