Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/83706
PHIL'S CORNER The Big Ten season is about to begin. Here's where PSU needs to improve ith Penn State falling far short of expectations in its season-open- ing losses to Ohio and Virginia, Bill O'Brien and his coaching staff will have a number of things to work on, offensively and defensively, with the start of the Big Ten schedule about to arrive. The three areas that I believe need the most focus heading into the con- ference season are special teams, of- fensive production in the red zone and roster management as it relates to decisions about which true fresh- men should be redshirted this season. After what took place against Vir- W ginia, the Nittany Lions' No. 1 priority heading into the conference season has to be both the kicking and punt- ing games. In researching this col- umn, I couldn't find another occasion in the past 30 years in which Penn State went 1 for 5 on field goals as Sam Ficken did in Penn State's 17-16 loss to the Cavaliers. Ficken was wide left on a 40-yard field goal in the first quarter, wide right on a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter, wide right again in the third quarter on a 20- yard attempt and wide left on a 42- yard try as time expired. Through Penn State's first two non- conference games, Ficken had made only 1 of 6 field goal attempts. His only successful field goal – a 32- yarder – came in the fourth quarter against Virginia. O'Brien said during his news con- ference following the Virginia game that he felt Ficken was still capable of getting the job done. He emphasized that it wasn't entirely Ficken's fault that he missed four field goal at- tempts against the Cavaliers. "It's never [just] about the kicker," O'Brien said. The kicker is always the one to get blamed, but it's the whole operation – the snap, the hold, the kick. We need to see what things we can do to help Sam get better." O'Brien pointed out that the snap on the last-second field goal was low and tough to handle in the rain. "We have to work on that," he said, "the whole operation." After the NCAA levied its sanctions against the Lions on July 23, kicker Anthony Fera became one of a hand- ful of players to transfer from Penn State. I stated in August that Fera would prove to be the team's most significant loss. That's because he was considered by some analysts to be one of the three best specialists in college football. In fact, Fera was the first player at Penn State since Chris Bahr in 1976 to handle field goals, kickoffs and punts in the same sea- son. Ficken had strong credentials but was unproven. His senior year at Val- paraiso (Ind.) High School, he was named a 5A All-State selection, total- ing 13 field goals including a school- record 52-yard kick. He also had 45 touchbacks on kickoffs. A few days after the Virginia game, O'Brien said Ficken had kicked close to 300 field goals in practice a day earlier. He later conceded that he was exaggerating for effect, but he did in- dicate that he had faith in the team's capacity for improvement. "This is a problem we should have the ability to solve," he said. "It's about repetitions with the units. We do it every single day. We get at least five to eight reps every day in practice." Another area that has to be ad- dressed is punting. Last season, Fera averaged 42 yards per attempt, and 18 of his 64 punts ended up inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Now, in the wake of Fera's depar- ture, junior Alex Butterworth is han- dling the punting. Against Ohio and Virginia, Butterworth punted eight times and averaged 38 yards per at- tempt, with his longest punt traveling 52 yards. That's an ominous trend, one that could put Penn State at a disadvantage throughout the Big Ten season in the battle for field position. While not as glaring as the prob- lems in the kicking game, Penn State's productivity in the red zone also needs to improve. That was strikingly evident in the game against Virginia. The Lions created four turnovers inside the Cavaliers' 30- yard line yet managed to score only 16 points in the game. The four drives that followed those takeaways produced just 1 yard of offense on 12 plays. The Nittany Lions' first takeaway came early, as linebacker Michael Mauti stripped the ball on a comple- tion to Virginia tight end Paul Freed- man at the Cavaliers' 37-yard line. Safety Stephen Obeng-Agyapong picked up the loose ball and returned it to Virginia's 17. That turnover produced a four-play Penn State drive that consisted of two 2-yard runs by Derek Day, a 10-yard sack of Matt McGloin and a missed 40-yard field goal. The Lions got their second turnover early in the second quarter when de- fensive tackle Jordan Hill made a one- handed interception of a Michael Roc- co screen pass at Virginia's 31-yard line and returned the ball to the 19. Like the previous turnover, this one yielded a four-play offensive series in which the Lions lost 2 yards and scored no points. Ficken missed a 38- yard field goal attempt to end the possession. As was the case in Penn State's ini-