Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/847744
S ome games are decided by subtle moves that few observers are even aware of: the checkdown that leads to a touchdown pass or the defensive call that yields a turnover. Others are de- cided by dazzling feats of pure athletic ability, the kind of thunderclaps that couldn't possibly go unno- ticed. In his capacity as Penn State's special teams coor- dinator, Charles Huff spe- cializes in the latter. The special teams touchdown is "probably the loudest play" in football, Huff said. "You could make the argument that a quarterback checking into the play or making the read and throwing a touch- down on a slant route is just as impor- tant, but it's a lot quieter because no one knows if he read the right guy. But a kickoff returner – everybody sees him and sees that it's a big play. You could make the argument that it's the same thing as the running back who makes a guy miss and scores. It's just a louder play." Penn State's special teams made one of the loudest plays of the 2016 college football season when Marcus Allen blocked a late field goal attempt and fel- low defensive back Grant Haley returned it for the decisive touchdown in a 24-21 victory over second-ranked Ohio State. The Lions fielded one of the better kick- ing games in the country, finishing 11th in the S&P+ rankings – a huge improve- ment over their performances in 2014 and '15, when they finished 77th both years. The Lions still have substantial room for improvement, though, partic- ularly in the punt- and kickoff-return games. Huff, who doubles as running backs coach, recently took the time to discuss Penn State's kicking game with BWI web editor Nate Bauer. Here's what he had to say: BWI James Franklin said he's confident the kick- and punt-return teams will make significant improvements this season. Let's start with punt return. P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> ALIVE AND KICKING S P E C I A L T E A M S Coordinator Charles Huff wants his players to make some noise this coming season RISING FORCE Huff's special teams units ranked 11th in the country last sea- son. Photo by Steve Manuel