Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1486024
3 6 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Given his experience, Pinegar felt en- tirely comfortable taking charge of the position again this year. He finished the regular season with 12 makes in 16 field goal attempts, including a pair of ca- reer-long 50-yarders — one at Indiana and another against Maryland. "This is my fourth year doing it, so it hasn't been a crazy shock or something new," he said. "It definitely feels good to be back out there doing what I can to help this team win." Franklin said he's been impressed with Pinegar's determination, noting that he could have sought a change of scenery after falling behind Stout last year but instead chose to battle his way back into the Nittany Lions' starting lineup. "I just think he's a great example [for other players], especially in 2022 with all the different things going on and the transfer portal," Franklin said. "Here's a guy who's a starter, lost the starting job, handled it the right way, and now he's the starter again and is doing extremely well. He's a great example for a lot of our guys." Special teams coordinator Stacy Col- lins echoed Franklin's assessment of the veteran kicker. "It's a credit to him as a person — how he's fought through that and turned around and been able to compete and produce at an elite level," Collins told GoPSUSports.com. Pinegar will try to do so again in the Nittany Lions' upcoming bowl game. It could be his final appearance in a Penn State uniform, but he does have a bonus year of eligibility available to him if he wants it. For now, Pinegar isn't sure whether he will return to PSU. He went into the season's homestretch having not given much thought to his football future be- yond the Nittany Lions' 2022 season. True to his mantra, he was living in the moment. "That's something that I'm going to have to talk to my family and friends and coaches about," he said. "I haven't made a decision. It's one of those we'll-cross- that-bridge-when-we-get-there type of things." ■ Pinegar, Singleton Shine During An Uneven Year For PSU's Kicking Units The special teams highlight of Penn State's regular season took place in the team's penultimate game. Taking advantage of his teammates' perfect blocking, speedy freshman Nicholas Singleton raced 100 yards for a kick-return score. He was never touched during his dash to the end zone. "I must admit, that kickoff return was a thing of beauty," head coach James Franklin said following Penn State's 55-10 win over the Scarlet Knights. "We hadn't had a whole lot of success, so that was big for us." Here's how the rest of the special teams units are faring now that PSU is heading into the postseason: P U N T I N G Last month, we gave the Lions' punting efforts an A. That grade is probably now a B+. Senior Barney Amor can still hit a good punt, like the one the Lions downed at the 3-yard line against the Scarlet Knights. But he was inconsistent during the second half of the season, which has led to two opportunities for Alex Bacchetta. The true freshman has a strong leg but hasn't shown the consis- tency in practice that would enable him to seize the job. K I C K O F F S Redshirt senior Jake Pinegar has taken this job and run with it. He singlehandedly turned a weakness into a strength during the final four weeks of the season. It's unclear why he wasn't used in this role ear- lier in the year, but Franklin, special teams coordinator Stacy Collins and company finally figured it out and made the switch. F I E L D G O A L S Pinegar deserves praise here, too. He was as reliable as any kicker in the country during the second half of the season, all while steadily in- creasing his range. He hit 50-yarders in consecutive games against Indi- ana and Maryland, part of a stretch of 8 consecutive makes. P U N T R E T U R N S Sophomore Parker Washington was averaging 5.5 yards before suffering an injury that ended his season prior to the Rutgers game in Week 11. This is an area in which the Lions could use more productiv- ity in 2023. K I C K R E T U R N S Prior to Singleton's return against Rutgers, Penn State hadn't done much here to change games in a positive or negative way. Touch- backs are common in college foot- ball these days, but giving a player with Singleton's big-play ability a few extra opportunities to touch the football will occasionally pay big dividends. — Greg Pickel Nicholas Singleton's 100-yard kickoff return in the first quarter touched off a scoring deluge in Penn State's 55-10 victory over Rutgers. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE