Tag: Ryan Barker

Penn State special teams unit ready to run it back in 2025

Penn State looks like it is set on special teams already for the 2025 season.

The pieces of the Penn State offense and defense appear to be coming together this week with players announcing their respective decisions on their plans for the 2025 season. But what about the special teams? It looks as though there will not be much turnover in the special teams group going into the 2025 season as four special teams cogs all confirmed they will return to the Nittany Lions next season.

Special teams coordinator [autotag]Justin Lustig[/autotag] shared the encouraging news on social media on Wednesday that kickers [autotag]Ryan Barker[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabe Nwosu[/autotag], punter [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag], and long snapper [autotag]Tyler Duzansky[/autotag] are all confirmed to be back with the program next season, which gives the entire special teams unit a little less to worry about this spring.

Thompson punted 51 times last season for an average of 42.8 yards per punt. Nwosu has become Penn State’s primary kickoff specialist with his strong leg often not giving opposing teams a chance to return the football. Barker, a redshirt freshman, was 15 of 18 on field goal attempts and 48 of 49 on extra point attempts this season.

Barker’s return was expected and could lead to a potential transfer decision by Sander Sahaydak. The status of Sahaydak, who was shaky at the start of the season with just 2 of 5 field goals made in four games, is unconfirmed and his absence from Lustig’s post may not be a coincidence. But nothing has been confirmed either way on what this all means for Sahaydak.

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Penn State will likely have its kick and punt returned back next season as well. Nicholas Singleton has been Penn State’s main kickoff return specialist with 14 returns in 15 games last season. Singleton announced his return to the team earlier in the week and he could continue to handle kickoff returns next fall.

Cornerback Zion Tracy is expected to return next season and could continue to be Penn State’s leading punt returner. Tracy had 15 punt returns last season but never really had a threat of a big return. Penn State has lacked much of a return threat in recent years, but sometimes just holding on to the football and not giving up yards is all you need.

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Penn State advances after 31-14 Fiesta Bowl victory over Boise State

Penn State’s running game and defense overpowered Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Next up, the Orange Bowl and the semifinal round!

In the first meeting between Penn State and Boise State, two teams who combined for a perfect 10-0 record all-time in Fiesta Bowl appearances, the Nittany Lions never trailed in a 31-14 win over the Broncos. Penn State is the first team to punch its spot in the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff with the win.

After the defense did well to contain Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty on the opening drive again and force Boise State to settle for a field goal attempt, which was tipped and failed, Penn State went to work flexing its muscle with its running game. Fueled by some strong runs and bursts by [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and a couple of nice gains by [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag], Penn State maneuvered itself down the field on its first offensive possession. [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] completed a terrific pass to tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] in the back of the end zone as Warren managed to grab the football and get a foot down for the first score of the game.

Penn State took a 14-0 lead later in the first quarter when Allar took a deep shot to [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag], who managed to beat his defender down the field for a 38-yard reception. After the defense forced a fumble by Jeanty in the second quarter, it appeared Penn State was set to go on cruise control and open up a three-score lead, but a botched exchange between Allar and Singleton put the ball on the ground for the Boise State defense. That turnover and an apparent arm injury to Abdul Carter helped spark the Broncos to a touchdown drive to cut into the lead. Penn State would take a 17-7 lead into halftime with a [autotag]Ryan Barker[/autotag] field goal to close the half.

But the offense started flat in the second half and the Broncos took advantage of a blown coverage for a 53-yard touchdown throw from Maddux Madsen to a wide-open tight end Matt Lauter to cut the Penn State lead to 17-14 early in the third quarter.

Penn State had an answer, and it came with another grueling touchdown drive highlighted by a pair of third-and-longs and a touchdown catch in the red zone from Allar to Warren. Penn State took a 24-14 lead into the fourth quarter and [autotag]Zakee Wheatley[/autotag] started the final quarter off with a big interception on a third-and-long. It was his second forced turnover of the game after recovering a Jeanty fumble in the first half.

Penn State was unable to capitalize and put the game firmly out of reach, which left Boise State with some life. Jeanty delivered his biggest run of the night to convert on a 3rd-and-21 deep in Boise State’s end, and the Broncos worked their way down the field and into the red zone. But the defense, stood tall with a key [autotag]Amin Vanover[/autotag] sack and Boise State’s field goal attempt sailed just wide right to keep Penn State up by 10 points with 9:20 remaining on the clock.

Penn State worked a few minutes off the clock, but Singleton put the game on ice with a 58-yard touchdown run right up the middle of the Boise State defense. The touchdown gave Penn State a commanding 31-14 lead with just under five minutes to play. [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag] picked off a pass from Madsen on Boise State’s ensuing possession to lock down the win.

Penn State rushed for 217 yards. Jeanty became just the second player to rush for 100 yards against Penn State this season, but the defense did prevent him from chasing down the NCAA’s single-season rushing record held by Barry Sanders. Jeanty needed 132 yards to break Sanders’ record but ended his night with 104 rushing yards.

Penn State will move on to the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Liopns will head to Miami to play in the Orange Bowl and will fscr the winner of the Sugar Bowl matchup between SEC champion Georgia and Notre Dame. Georgia enjoyed the bye in the first round while Notre Dame handled Indiana in the first round in South Bend, Indiana. The Orange Bowl is scheduled for Thursday, January 9, 2025.

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Penn State escapes Minnesota’s upset bid, remains in Big Ten title contention

Penn State avoids massive upset at Minnesota and remains in the Big Ten title hunt going into next week.

It’s OK to breathe a sigh of relief, Penn State fans. The Nittany Lions are 10-1, but it certainly was not pretty on Saturday in a 26-25 victory over Minnesota. But a win is a win, and Penn State has 10 of them in 11 games.

Penn State came out sleeping its way to an early 10-0 deficit in the first half, and it was a constant battle to climb its way to a 23-22 lead in the third quarter. Penn State held a 26-25 lead after the Gophers kicked a field goal on its final possession of the game, and a fake punt and a fourth-and-short conversion on helped Penn State run the remainder of the game’s five minutes and change for a hard-fought victory. The win keeps Penn State in the mix for a spot in the Big Ten championship game and should keep the Nittany Lions for a potential first-round College Football Playoff game in Beaver Stadium.

And it was a roller coaster of emotions to get there.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] completed 20 of 27 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown, a 45-yard strike to a wide-open [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag] in the second quarter. Allar also picked up a short touchdown run in a game where he was under some good pressure throughout the game and let his emotions boil over a bit on the sideline in the heat of the moment. But Allar delivered another gritty performance on the road like he did at USC earlier in the season.

Not surprisingly, tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] was a big reason why Penn State came away with the Governor’s Victory Bell. Warren caught eight passes for 102 yards, including the big fourth-down conversion in the final minute to help Penn State run the clock out for good. Warren was without a touchdown in the game, but he was the game’s leading receiver.

[autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] rushed for a game-high 63 yards and a touchdown and he added six catches for 37 yards. [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] had a quiet day in the box score with three tackles, but he did bring some good pressure off the edge. Minnesota just found ways to avoid letting that pressure bring them down. Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer did throw an interception to [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] and had a costly fumble when he just dropped the ball in the backfield, with Carter battling him for the fumble recovery.

Special teams disasters by Penn State have been rare this season, but they cost Penn State 9 points in the first half. A blocked punt out of the end zone led to a quick Minnesota touchdown to go up 17-10, and a blocked extra point just before halftime was returned by Minnesota for two points. Confusion on the field also led to a rushed shanked pooch punt by Warren as Drew Allar appeared to want to call timeout.

But it was the special teams that helped deliver a win in the biggest way. Kicker [autotag]Ryan Barker[/autotag] hit a 32-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to put Penn State up 26-22. After the Gophers had to settle for a field goal to cut the lead to one, Penn State picked up a 32-yard gain on a fake punt run by [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag] from the Penn State 34-yard line to keep the drive moving. Penn State looked like it was going three-and-out on the drive after Minnesota cut the lead to one, so the fake punt was what ended up being the play of the game. But Allar picked up another fourth down conversion with a two-yard run with 2:10 remaining, and Allar’s pass to Warren for an 11-yard gain on 4th and 1 from the Minnesota 14-yard line and 26 seconds remaining was the icing on the cake.

With the win, and with Ohio State beating Indiana earlier in the day, Penn State is still in the running for a spot in the Big Ten championship game going into next week. Penn State will know when it takes the field next week if there is a chance to play for the Big Ten championship for the first time since 2016. If Ohio State loses to Michigan next week in the early kickoff window, then a Penn State win would send the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten championship game to face Oregon.

Penn State will close out the regular season next week at home against Maryland. Next week’s game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff and will air on Big Ten Network.

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Two Penn State players named Big Ten player of the week

Tyler Warren was one of two Penn State players honored by the Big Ten this week.

It is safe to say that Penn State tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] performed well in Penn State’s overtime win at USC this past weekend. Warren appeared to be on track to break the school’s single-game receiving record but he ended up having to settle for second on the school’s all-time list. But his efforts did not go unrewarded. The Big Ten named Warren one of its players of the week. The Big Ten also recognized kicker [autotag]Ryan Barker[/autotag] in its weekly accolades.

Warren was named the Big Ten co-offensive player of the week. He shares the honor this week with Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who helped lead the Ducks to a massive home win over Ohio State hours after Penn State and Warren knocked off USC in Los Angeles.

Warren tied the FBS record for most receptions in a single game by a tight end and set the Penn State single-game receptions record. His 224 receiving yards against USC is second only to Jahan Dotson (242 yards) for Penn State’s single-game records. Warren skyrocketed into the top-10 of the Big Ten’s receiving yardage leaders with his effort against USC.

Barker was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week after connecting on four field goals against USC. That included the game-winning kick in overtime in his first road game taking over the primary kicking duties for the special teams unit. Barker’s overtime game-winner was the first game-winning kick as time expired or in overtime for Penn State since Sam Ficken hit a game-winner against UCF in Ireland to open the 2024 season. Ficken also kicked the last overtime game-winner for Penn State in a win against Wisconsin in 2012.

Penn State is off this week but will return to the field next week to take on Wisconsin on the road. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on NBC on Saturday, Oct. 26.

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Social media reacts to Penn State’s thrilling OT victory over USC

Here is how social media reacted to Penn State’s thriller against USC in Los Angeles.

It looked bleak at halftime, but Penn State managed to pick up a huge 33-30 overtime victory against the USC Trojans in Week 7. The game was full of big plays, turnovers, clutch fourth-down conversions, you name it. In a game that had everything, there were even some things you may not see anywhere else in college football this season.

USC kicked off the highlights with a 75-yard touchdown on a reverse by running back Quinten Joyner, the longest play allowed by Penn State all season. USC added to their lead by driving down the field for another touchdown to go up 14-3. The teams traded field goals before USC added another last-second field goal to go up 20-6 at the half.

Penn State rode Tyler Warren offensively all game, but he really took over in the third quarter. This trick play touchdown where he snapped the ball was the most spectacular, but he racked up 17 receptions for 224 yards overall on the day. Penn State would add another touchdown to their total on their next drive to tie the game at 20, and the teams once again traded field goals on their next scoring drives.

USC would drive the length of the field again to go up 30-23, only for Drew Allar to convert two fourth downs on the way to a tying touchdown of their own. After failed drives by each team, it went to overtime where USC missed their field goal attempt. After picking up a few yards for kicker Ryan Barker, he banged it home for the win. Let’s take a look at how social media reacted to the thriller in Los Angeles.

Safe to say Ryan Barker wasn’t too nervous for his game-winning kick

Someone clearly spoke to soon

Have a day, Tyler!

Coach Franklin didn’t seem too happy…

Kansas fans wishing Andy Kotelnicki was still around…

Plenty of love for Ryan Barker

Penn State rallies for thrilling overtime victory at USC!

Ryan Barker’s game-winning field goal keeps Penn State undefeated after overtime thriller in Los Angeles.

The last time Penn State traveled to California for a football game, it came up on the losing end of a Rose Bowl classic when USC kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions were in another classic ending against USC, but this time it was the Nittany Lions celebrating a game-winning field goal. [autotag]Ryan Barker[/autotag]’s 36-yard field goal in overtime lift Penn State over USC, 33-30, to improve to 6-0.

Behind a record day from tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], Penn State battled all afternoon and dug out of a double-digit deficit in the first half to find a way out of the Los Angeles Coliseum with a memorable win. Warren set a FBS record for the most receptions ina. game by a tight end with 17, and he ended the day with the second-most receiving yards

Penn State trailed the Trojans 20-6 at halftime but asserted some control after halftime. Penn State scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to tie the game at 20-20 thanks in large part to the effort by Warren, but Penn State trailed by three heading into the fourth quarter after USC managed to regain the lead shortly after Allar’s second interception of the day, this one off a tipped pass. Despite great field position, USC may have left points on the board after a solid defensive stand by Penn State to limit the damage as best it could.

Penn State put together a 72-yard drive to start the fourth quarter but had to settle for a Ryan Barker field goal from the three-yard line. That was when USC came up with a potentially backbreaking drive.

USC marched right down the field on the Penn State defense with big runs from Woody Marks, and Miller Moss completed a pass over the middle to Kyron Hudson for a five-yard touchdown pass to put the Trojans up 30-23 with just under six minutes to play. But that was more than enough time for Penn State to come up with an answer.

Drew Allar led one of the best drives of his career by driving Penn State down the field without a pass completion to Warren. Instead to was [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag] coming up with big catches in the clutch as Penn State converted two fourth-down plays to keep the chains moving, one for a 16-yard gain and another for a 17-yard gain. Allar capped the drive with a touchdown pass to [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag], who returned to the field after missing last week’s game against UCLA.

Jaylen Reed picked off a pass from USC quarterback Miller Moss in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to prevent USC from setting up for a potentially game-winning field goal attempt, and Penn State was left with a few seconds to try and manufacture a deep shot to the end zone before overtime. Allar’s deep pass was picked off on the final play of regulation for his third interception of the game, which doubled his career total for interceptions.

After winning the coin toss and electing to go on defense, Penn State’s defense forced USC to try a field goal on the opening possession. USC missed a 45-yard attempt after the defense held strong, and got away with a couple of questionable missed interference calls in pass defense. Knowing a field goal would win it, Penn State didn’t try to do too much on its possession and just focused on putting the ball in a good spot for Barker, who connected on the game-winning field goal from 36 yards out.

Penn State will be off next week. The Nittany Lions will be back on the road in Big Ten play in two weeks when it visits Wisconsin. The Badgers routed Rutgers in New Jersey earlier on Saturday.

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Penn State adds walk-on kicking specialist Ryan Barker

Penn State picked up a verbal commitment from an in-state kicking specialist on the rise.

Penn State’s Class of 2023 got a little bigger on Tuesday evening with a verbal commitment from a kicking specialist. [autotag]Ryan Barker[/autotag], a four-star kicking specialist will be a preferred walk-on for the Nittnay Lions in the Class of 2023.

“After what has been a thrilling recruiting process, I am beyond grateful to say I am committing to Penn State University,” Barker announce don his Twitter account. “Thank you Coach Franklin and Coach Collins for giving a small town kid a chance. This is truly dreams turned into reality.”

Barker is from Kennet Square, Pennsylvania and is ranked as the No. 44 kicker and No. 91 punter in the nation according to Kohl’s Professional Camps. But he is viewed by recruiting analysts as a rising kicking specialist prospect, so this could be a solid pickup for the Penn State special teams.

Penn State just added one of the nation’s top punter recruits in the Class of 2022 with the addition of [autotag]Alex Bachetta[/autotag]. [autotag]Jake Pinegar[/autotag] is back for kicking duties in 2022 but the Nittany Lions have faith in redshirt freshman [autotag]Sander Sahaydak[/autotag] after an encouraging display in the spring.

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