Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/916653
V S . W A S H I N G T O N he pass appeared to be uncatchable. Had some other tight end been chasing it, it might have been un- catchable. As the ball floated toward the far corner of the end zone, the thou- sands of Terrapins fans scattered through- out Maryland Stadium no doubt breathed a sigh of relief. Already trailing by three touchdowns early in the second quarter, the Terps had held, at least for one play. But Mike Gesicki isn't just any tight end. He's a long-limbed 6-foot-6 athlete, and attached to those gangly arms are two of the surest hands in the country. With cornerback Antwaine Richardson trailing him, Gesicki sprinted to the pylon and extended his right arm as he lunged. Somehow, the ball stuck to his hand. Gesicki pulled it in, cradling it tight to his chest to secure the catch just before tumbling out of bounds. One of two Gesicki touchdowns in a 66-3 rout that brought an emphatic end to Penn State's regular sea- son, the 9-yard second-quarter catch was emblematic of the All-Big Ten standout's final year with the Nittany Lions. His feats of freakish athleticism have been among the highlights of the season, as Gesicki has caught a team-high 51 passes for 501 yards and scored nine touchdowns. Among those plays: a spinning catch on the sideline to set up a key second-quarter score against Michigan, a toe-tapping sideline reception while falling backward out of bounds against Michigan State, and a game-open- ing touchdown catch vs. Pitt. He even brought a new level of athleticism to Penn State's end zone celebrations. After a touchdown run by Trace McSorley against Michigan, Gescki came flying up from a scrum in the middle of the field and used his teammate as a sort of pommel horse, pushing off against his helmet and sailing clean over the 6-0 quarterback. "I was try- ing to chest bump him," Gesicki said after- ward, "but he didn't look at me, so I ended up just going right on top of him." Coach James Franklin missed Gesicki's leap, but he saw some photos afterward and and wasn't surprised. "I think we all know that Mike can jump out of the stadium," he said. "He was a high-level volleyball player, a high-level basketball player [in high school]. Every time we have a dunk contest on the football team, he wins it. That's one of his special qualities: how well he can | T WORKING HIS WAY UP He can make it look effortless at times, but a diligent year-round practice regimen is the secret to Mike Gesicki's success BIG MAN ON CAMPUS Gesicki won All-Big Ten recognition for the sec- ond season in a row after catching a team- high 51 passes for 501 yards during the regular season. He's now Penn State's all-time leader in receptions by a tight end. Photo by Steve Manuel