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WVC Football Notebook: Opening win more important to some teams

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Speed-minder signs installed on Lakeside Drive in Harveys Lake

<p>Plenty of people will be keeping an eye out for Miles Sanders on Saturday. Those from this corner of the state will pay an extra bit of attention to the offensive line, scanning for Connor McGovern.</p><p>But the true freshman who might make the quickest &#8212; and possibly largest &#8212; impact on Penn State this season is Blake Gillikin.</p><p>That would be the likely starter at punter on Saturday against Kent State.</p><p>Though the Georgia native could end up splitting duties with Daniel Pasquariello depending on how the season goes, Gillikin is the Nittany Lions&#8217; first scholarship punter in five years.</p><p>NCAA sanctions arguably hurt the Lions&#8217; special teams units harder than anywhere else. In James Franklin&#8217;s first year on the job, Penn State lost three games in which the winning score in the fourth quarter was set up by a short punt.</p><p>Enter Gillikin, one of the country&#8217;s top-rated high school punters last year. He arrived on campus this summer and appears to have won a battle against Pasquariello and Chris Gulla, who split duties in the past.</p><p>&#8220;For the first two-and-a-half weeks, you could have closed your eyes and picked a punter between Blake, Danny and Gulla,&#8221; special teams coordinator Charles Huff said. &#8220;The thing, as it went on, was the consistency. Blake was consistent in all three phases. All the other guys had some really good, strong parts.</p><p>&#8220;But overall in distance, location and hang time, Blake &#8212; over the course of camp &#8212; proved to be the most consistent. It wasn&#8217;t a landslide.&#8221;</p><p>Beyond that, the Lions are looking to boost an anemic return game, possibly by getting Saquon Barkley involved on kick returns here and there.</p><p>Barkley, Sanders and Brandon Polk have all worked on kick returns with Nick Scott projected to get the most opportunities.</p><p>&#8220;We want to have a program that wins because of our special teams,&#8221; Franklin said on his weekly radio show. &#8220;And I think we&#8217;re in a position to lay a foundation for that for a number of years.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Laugh it up</strong></p><p>Those outside of the program may not be too familiar with Parker Cothren. That seems likely to change this season as he steps into the starting lineup as the Lions&#8217; most experienced defensive tackle.</p><p>So here&#8217;s a quick glimpse into his personality. Asked why he wears No. 41, the Alabama native answered quickly.</p><p>&#8220;Yeah, I&#8217;ve worn 41 for basically my whole life in every sport,&#8221; Cothren said. &#8220;It actually started back in elementary school when my favorite channel on TV was 41. When asked what number I wanted to be, I said 41.&#8221;</p><p>OK, we&#8217;ll bite. What channel was it?</p><p>&#8220;Cartoon Network.&#8221;</p><p>Indeed.</p><p>Cothren is just now getting used to being a subject of attention as he prepares for his first start. That should be easier to adjust to than the attention he&#8217;ll get from opposing offensive linemen who regularly double-teamed his predecessor, Austin Johnson.</p><p>As the anchor of the line, Cothren will face two very tough tests in this first month of the season in road games against Pitt and Michigan. Franklin said at the start of training camp that the defense would have to lean on Cothren this year, something he has taken to heart.</p><p>&#8220;It made me get my mind right,&#8221; Cothren said. &#8220;I worked harder this year than I probably have in the past &#8212; having everyone look to me when they have questions, trying to be that guy that (Johnson) and (Anthony) Zettel were to me, to them. Taking that leadership role.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Paterno anniversary</strong></p><p>Penn State is planning to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of Joe Paterno&#8217;s first game as head coach during the Sept. 17 game against Temple.</p><p>The news came with the release of the team&#8217;s promotional schedule for 2016 home games on Thursday. More will be announced in the days leading up to the game.</p><p>Though no details are available yet, the announcement is notable in that Penn State has been wary of recognizing the late Paterno in an official capacity in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. The university removed the statue of Paterno from the Beaver Stadium grounds in July 2012, just a day before the NCAA imposed severe sanctions on the program.</p><p>Individuals such as Franklin and Bill O&#8217;Brien often brought up Paterno in formal and informal situations. But on game days, for example, the only trace of Paterno is in brief clips as part of a pregame video that also features O&#8217;Brien and Rip Engle.</p><p>Football lettermen are planning to hold a reunion in honor of the former coach along with the Paterno family on Sept. 16 at Medlar Field &#8212; the baseball stadium across the street from Beaver Stadium. The event is private and not affiliated with the university.</p><p>Penn State has had a difficult path to walk over the past five years, trying to move on from the devastating Sandusky scandal while debating on how and when to acknowledge Paterno.</p><p>&#8220;No matter what position as leadership you take on the continuum, there are others that are going to criticize,&#8221; athletic director Sandy Barbour told the Associated Press. &#8220;Those that think that Penn State&#8217;s not been stood up for enough. There are those that think Coach Paterno has not been stood up for enough. There are those that think Coach Paterno has been stood up for too much. It&#8217;s all along the continuum.</p><p>&#8220;For leadership, really for anybody, that&#8217;s a challenge.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Special teams coordinator Charles Huff is aiming for a big improvement for his unit in 2016, starting with the punting game. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_huff-punters.jpg</photo0><caption0>Special teams coordinator Charles Huff is aiming for a big improvement for his unit in 2016, starting with the punting game. </caption0><photoCredit0>Kathy Willens | AP file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Freshman punter could give PSU a boost</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Derek Levarse</p><p>dlevarse@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>UP NEXT</strong></p><p>Kent State at Penn State</p><p>3:30 p.m. Saturday, BTN</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Special teams in the spotlight for Nittany Lions