Does Penn State have kicking game concerns after Saturday? James Franklin weighs in
STATE COLLEGE — Does Penn State have a problem in the kicking game?
The Lions had more positives than one can count on both hands and feet following a 46-10 win over Ohio at Beaver Stadium. But, if there is one area that deserves extra special attention in a critical sense, it was the pair of misses by starting placement kicker Jake Pinegar.
A veteran who was a starter until he wasn’t but now is again, Pinegar missed a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter and an extra point in the fourth. Neither mattered on this day. Penn State’s lead was safe. But, that won’t always be the case.
What is the concern level in the mind of head coach James Franklin? It seems low, and he also pointed to another area of the operation that he finds far more troubling.
“I got a ton of confidence with Jake,” Franklin said. “We have to shore up the protection on field goal. We’re getting way too much push inside. That was a low kick. But, we’re getting too much push inside at our guard position.
“And, the problem is, once you put that on tape, it’s there, and now people are going to attack it. So, we got to get that fixed.”
Pinegar’s Penn State track record offers cause for pause, though
Pinegar deserves a ton of credit for sticking with Penn State when he could have entered the NCAA transfer portal once he lost the placement kicking job to Jordan Stout. However, let’s be clear: There was a reason that happened.
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Through Saturday, Pinegar is 37 of 52 on field goal tries. Most of the misses have been from beyond 40 yards. Many of them came early in his career. But, a trend is a trend, and there certainly seems to be one when it comes to the senior missing more than he makes once the kick is from 39 yards or more. Franklin says that’s the way it’s supposed to be statistically. But, it’s certainly not the case everywhere. It is worth noting that he was true from 25 in this win.
Penn State has another scholarship option in Sander Sahaydak. But, Pinegar beat him out in camp. So, it’s unclear if a switch would lead to improvements.
At the end of the day, kickers have a tough job. Their misses are magnified, and their makes are usually met with the kind of shrug one might give to the sun coming up. And, touchdowns win games, not field goals. But they are still essential in the first quarter or the final minute.
Penn State projects confidence in Pinegar after this game and thinks protection changes must be made. That’s fine and well. But the unit will be judged by where the ball goes once it leaves Pinegar’s foot, fairly or not. And, after Saturday, there won’t be as much external confidence when the kick comes from 40 yards or more than there should be. Will it matter? Perhaps not. But, it will be intensely scrutinized moving forward.
