Blue White Illustrated

After initial struggles, punter Alex Butterworth hits his stride late in the season WORTH THE WAIT MATT hERB | M A T T@B L U E WH I T E O N L I N E . C O M As Penn State's team buses roared through downtown Lafayette en route to Purdue, Alex Butterworth looked out the window and saw his childhood whizzing by. There was the street where his grandmother used to live. There were the neighborhoods he roamed when he was a kid. Up ahead was Ross-Ade Stadium, where he and his grandfa- ther would watch games, the same stadium that he would tour years later as a Purdue recruit. "When we walked on the field, I re- membered coming here on my recruit- ing visit or even when I was 7 or 8 years old and I used to come out on the field with my grandpa," Butterworth said following the Nittany Lions' 34-9 victory over the Boilermakers on Nov. 3. "I could have been here today wear- ing a different jersey and been with a different team. But it was a good expe- rience coming back to Purdue. I love the campus, love the people." Butterworth could indeed have ended up wearing the black and gold. For a while, in fact, Purdue looked to be his most likely college destination. He verbally committed to the Boiler- makers coming out Heritage Christian High School in Indianapolis in 2010, and it seemed certain at the time that his family connections to the univer- sity – his parents, grandfather and two uncles attended the school – and his proximity to West Lafayette would compel him to follow through. But he ultimately chose Penn State, and when Anthony Fera took the NCAA up on its no-strings-attached offer to let Nittany Lion players trans- fer away from the scandal-ravaged school, leaving University Park for Texas this past August, Butterworth suddenly was Penn State's starting punter. After some initial struggles, the In- diana native has given the Lions a lift with big performances against Ohio State and Purdue. Four times in the in net punting average at 32.2 yards per attempt. Butterworth, who had attempted only 20 punts his first two seasons, admitted that he went into the season feeling pressure to step in and perform well – pressure that was magnified by all the attention that fell on Penn State following the Sandusky scandal. "I played a little bit my freshman and sophomore years, and I feel like I did all right with pressure," Butterworth said. "But this year with the scandal and everything, and how much lime- light was put on the football team, re- ally the pressure built up." All season, he has been working on BWI File Photo MEMORY LANE A native of Indiana, Butterworth returned to his home state when PSU played Purdue. He said it was nice to come "back to Purdue. I love the campus, love the people." Ohio State game, the junior punter trapped the Buckeyes inside their 20- yard line, and one of his kicks trav- eled 58 yards. Said coach Bill O'Brien, "I thought he did a nice job. He's worked at it." Butterworth was just as effective in his return to his home state. His first punt, from the Penn State goal line, went 40 yards to midfield and forced Frankie Williams to call for a fair catch. He also had a nice kick in the fourth quarter that forced the Boilers to start at their own 3-yard line. O'Brien called it "one of his better games. He pinned them deep at least twice." Earlier in the season, Penn State's punting had been a sore spot, part of an overall special teams decline that began with Fera's departure. Even after the Ohio State and Purdue games, the team is last in the Big Ten N O V E M B E R 7 , 2 0 1 2 11 both his mental approach and his technique. The biggest problem with his punting form, he said, was his drop. It wasn't consistent. Sometimes the nose of the ball would dip too low, other times the tail wouldn't be right. In practice, he worked to ensure that the ball fell straight down. As his technique improved, so did his self- confidence. "I guess handling pressure a little bet- ter and just taking my time and actu- ally believing in myself a little more – that was the biggest [hurdle]," he said. Butterworth said the coaching staff, particularly O'Brien and assistant John Butler, have been "really sup- portive" of the specialists. "They know what we struggle with mentally after a bad game," he said. "They know what we're going through and are awesome with that." The key going forward will be to build on those recent performances and have a productive November. No matter how much O'Brien may prefer to leave his offense on the field on fourth down, the Nittany Lions need a reliable punter. If Butterworth's late- season showings are any indication, they may just have found one. "I've just got to keep my focus and confidence," he said. "Hopefully I can keep it going." B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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