Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/916653
V S . W A S H I N G T O N
O T H E R M A T C H U P S
THE LOWDOWN The Fiesta
Bowl will feature several of
the country's top return
specialists. Pettis is considered by
many to be the nation's top punt re-
turner with a 20.4-yard average and
four TDs. He has an NCAA-record
nine punt-return TDs in his career.
Penn State's DeAndre Thompkins is
second in the Big Ten with a 14.5-yard
average and one TD. Pettis also leads
the Pac-12 with a 28.8-yard kicko;-
return average, while Barkley is third in
the Big Ten with a 28.4-yard average
and two TDs for Penn State. The Lions
have a slight edge elsewhere, with
Blake Gillikin averaging 43.2 yards per
punt and Washington's Joel Whitford
averaging 41.4 yards. Huskies PK Tris-
tan Vizcaino has converted 12 of 19
:eld goals, with a long kick of 44 yards.
His Penn State counterpart, Tyler
Davis, has made 9 of 16, with his
longest being 47 yards. //
EDGE EVEN
THE LOWDOWN
Last year,
Penn State was playing
what amounted to a road
game against USC in the Rose Bowl.
This year? It's another West Coast
game, but Penn State has always
traveled well to the Fiesta Bowl, so
this should be a true neutral-site
game. //
EDGE EVEN
THE LOWDOWN
This is
Chris Petersen's fourth
season at Washington,
and he has brought the Huskies back to
national prominence. The former
Boise State coach has gone 37-16 in
Seattle, including a Pac-12 champi-
onship and College Football Playo;
appearance last year. (The Huskies lost
to Alabama, 24-7, in the semi:nals.) At
Penn State, James Franklin hasn't
gotten to the CFP yet, but he does have
the Lions on the rise, having guided
them to their second consecutive 10-
win regular season. //
EDGE EVEN
SPECIAL
TEAMS
THIS 'N'
THAT
COACHING
STAFF
Backup K.J. Carta-Samuels has seen limited action and recently announced that he
plans to transfer. Carta-Samuels is expected to remain with the team through the Fi-
esta Bowl. The Huskies' leading receiver is Pettis with 62 catches for 721 yards and
seven TDs. He was injured in the Huskies' regular-season :nale against Washington
State but is expected to play in the bowl game. A