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Penn State hasn’t gotten much production from its punt and kickoff returns this season, which has contributed to its poor field position.
The Nittany Lions rank 121st out of 133 FBS teams in punt returns with a meager 3.7 average under first-year special teams coordinator Justin Lustig.
Penn State has started 55 of its 75 possessions from its 30-yard line or worse. Only six drives have begun across midfield.
“It starts with having a punt returner who has caught a lot of balls in games and who returned balls and made plays,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “We’ve had a little bit of musical chairs trying to find the guy.”
Kaden Saunders began this season as the primary punt returner after suffering an undefined injury during training camp. He mostly made fair catches, returning just four punts for 25 yards before he was hurt again.
Zion Tracy has taken over for Saunders and has 14 yards on six returns.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to field more of those balls and be more aggressive,” Franklin said. “But most importantly, knock on wood, we haven’t turned the ball over in that category. Now we have to take the next step. We have to start returning more of those.”
Last year, the Lions made a midseason change when Daequan Hardy replaced Saunders and had a 14.6 average that included two touchdowns against Massachusetts. They finished tied for 24th nationally.
Penn State also is struggling with its kickoff returns, averaging just 18.1 yards and ranking 97th. Nick Singleton is averaging 18.7 yards after he averaged more than 24 yards each of the last two seasons.
Allar recognized: Penn State junior Drew Allar has made the first cut for two national quarterback awards.
Allar was named Thursday as one of the top 10 candidates for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented annually to the top junior…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-notes-poor-return-034700953.html
Author : Reading Eagle, Pa.
Publish date : 2024-11-01 03:47:00
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