Tag: Sander Sahaydak

Penn State defense and running game power past Illinois in Big Ten opener

Penn State’s defense and running game powered the Nittany Lions to a win over Illinois.

After lighting up the scoreboard a week ago in an easy win, Penn State had to find a way to win a defensive battle in its Big Ten opener on Saturday night. After Illinois marched right down the field in surgical fashion on the game’s opening possession for a touchdown, Penn State’s defense locked down for the rest of the night. Penn State’s offense didn’t have the explosiveness they have displayed at times early this season, but there was just enough offense to score a 21-7 victory on Saturday night in Beaver Stadium.

[autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag]’s five-yard touchdown right up the middle coming out of the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter gave Penn State the elusive breathing room it had been looking for. Allen’s touchdown run put him at 102 rushing yards on the night on 18 rushing attempts. His partner [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] had a solid night as well with 94 rushing yards on 16 carries. Singleton also scored a touchdown on a run on Penn State’s first offensive series of the night, answering the opening drive by Illinois. Singleton also caught two passes for 25 yards for over 100 all-purpose yards.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] was not able to get too many deep balls to go his way, and he was off the mark on a few passes in the first half, but he did play a turnover-free game and passed for 135 yards. Allar also picked up some yards with his legs in key spots.

Penn State’s defense was the story of the night for the Nittany Lions. Jayden Reed led the defense with 9 tackles and the team combined for seven sacks of Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer. Altmyer also tossed his first interception of the year, courtesy of Georgia transfer [autotag]A.J. Harris[/autotag]. Harris would have scored a touchdown on his return if not for a block in the back penalty on Penn State.

If there is one thing Penn State head coach James Franklin will be displeased with, it may be his team’s penalties. After harping on the discipline in recent weeks, Penn State was flagged for six penalties for 63 penalty yards, many coming at critical times on defense, including a block in the back on an interception return in the fourth quarter that wiped a defensive touchdown off the board.

But Franklin’s bigger concern may be the status of his special teams. Penn State kicker [autotag]Sander Sahaydak[/autotag] missed two field goals, one from 40 yards and another from 41. The kicking woes did not hurt Penn State in this game, but this will have to be discussed as a potential problem moving forward.

Penn State will be home next week for another Big Ten matchup with new conference member UCLA. Penn State has not played UCLA since 1968 and UCLA has not played in Beaver Stadium since 1967. Kickoff is set for noon Eastern as part of Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff programming. Fox will bring its pregame show to Happy Valley as well.

Illinois will be off next week and will host Purdue in Week 7.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Report Card: Grading Penn State’s Week 1 win vs. West Virginia

The first Penn State report card is in for the 2023 season. Grading the Nittany Lions following the West Virginia game.

Penn State started the 2023 season with a glimpse of things to come this season. It also showed a few areas that could be worrisome later this season.

But after celebrating a 38-15 victory over West Virginia in front of a packed Beaver Stadium, it will be all smiles for the Nittany Lions the rest of the weekend.

Drew Allar was officially named the team’s starting quarterback with a scoreboard announcement less than half an hour before kickoff, and he looked every bit the star in the making he was expected to be. The defense had some physical battles won and a few lost, and the special teams will have to work on a few things. But all things considered, Penn State had a solid debut to be happy with going into Week 2.

With the first game in the books, here is the first report card of the 2023 season for Penn State.

Quarterback

Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A-minus

Was it a perfect starting debut for sophomore [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]? No, of course not. There were a few moments where things looked a little disorganized, but that is being a little bit nitpicky on a night when Allar passed for 325 yards (the most by a Big Ten quarterback in Week 1) and three touchdowns. Allar completed 21 of 29 pass attempts and seemed to connect well with KeAndre Lambert-Smith as his primary target. Allar took a couple of hits you would like to see him not take and NBC analyst Todd Blackledge pointed out at least one throw he felt Allar could have made better his intended target, but it was hard not to be impressed by his vision and patience throughout the game.

NEXT: Running backs

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 93 Sander Sahaydak

Will Sander Sahaydak be one of the answers for the Penn State kicking game in 2023?

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Today is a look at a possible kicking candidate to fill a major need on special teams this season, [autotag]Sander Sahaydak[/autotag]. The redshirt sophomore will be one of the two most likely options Penn State calls on to handle kicking duties this season. Here is a snapshot look at one of Penn State’s top kickers on the roster entering the 2023 season.

Penn State kicker Jake Pinegar heading to NFL

Penn State kicker Jake Pinegar announced he is chasing his NFL dream.

Penn State kicker [autotag]Jake Pinegar[/autotag] has kicked his last football for the Nittany Lions. Pinegar announced on Saturday that he will move on from Penn State and take a chance at playing at the next level in the NFL.

“The last five years at Penn State have been nothing short of spectacular,” Pinegar said. “Through the highs and the lows, I have learned so much and I wouldn’t want my path to be shaped any other way.”

“With that being said, I think it is time for the next chapter in my career. I have decided to chase a childhood dream of mine of playing in the NFL.”

Pinegar ends his five-year career at Penn State with 342 points scored with 195 extra point attempts and 49 field goals.

Pinegar leaving for a shot at playing in the NFL leaves the door wide open for a big role to be filled on the roster in 2023 for Penn State’s special teams. This will certainly be something to watch in the spring, with [autotag]Sander Sahaydak[/autotag] being a top candidate to be the team’s featured kicker. Penn State has also added [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] form the transfer portal as a potential option.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

[vertical-gallery id=19286]

[listicle id=28603]

[lawrence-related id=28738,28729,28727,28723,28711]

Report card: Grading Penn State’s Week 2 performance vs. Ohio

Report card: Grading Penn State’s 46-10 win over Ohio

Penn State had a solid all-around team effort in a 46-10 victory over the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday afternoon, which meant everyone on the team received some good praise for their collective efforts. In a game like this, everyone finds a way to chip in on offense, defense, and special teams. And because Penn State got a chance to go deep into the depth chart beginning midway through the third quarter, there was plenty of praise to go around in the postgame evaluations.

Here is how Penn State’s select position groups, defense, and special teams were graded after the Week 2 victory in the home opener in Beaver Stadium.

Quarterback

Sep 10, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) throws a pass during the second quarter against the Ohio Bobcats at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Ohio 46-10. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A

Penn State starting quarterback [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] may not have lit up the box score the way he did the previous week, but it is hard to complain about starting the game completing all six passes on the first offensive series and capping the drive with a touchdown run. Clifford added 213 passing yards and a touchdown before getting an early rest in the third quarter.

Freshman [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] took advantage of his reps by completing six of eight attempts for 88 yards with two nicely throw touchdown passes. And [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag] made his 2022 debut by completing six of seven attempts for 37 yards.

NEXT: Running backs

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Penn State has a punter, but kickoff duty still up for grabs

Will Penn State continue to rotate kickoff specialists in Week 2 vs. Ohio?

Among the many takeaways you could have from Penn State’s Week 1 victory at Purdue is the Nittany Lions have a suitable successor for punter [autotag]Jordan Stout[/autotag], but the kickoff duties are either still up for grabs or will be a kicker by committee approach.

[autotag]Barney Amor[/autotag] showed off his powerful leg and ability to pin the football deep with eight punts spanning 375 yards against Purdue. Armor averaged 46.9 yards per punt, with a long of 52 yards, to help Penn State flip the field position or set the defense up in a great spot all night long. Amor had three of his five punts downed inside the 20-yard line, and it should have been four. He had just one touchback in the game, and that was only because an overzealous punt coverage defender made the regrettable decision to try getting a hand on the football when it appeared the ball was going to die inside the Purdue two-yard line anyway.

Stout was a fourth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2022 NFL draft. Last season for the Nittany Lions, Stout averaged 46.0 yards per punt. Of course, Punt did more than punt the football. He also handled placekicking responsibilities with 34 of 36 extra point attempts converted and 16 of 23 field goals made. Stout also took care of kickoffs for Penn State to keep his leg busy all season long.

While it seems as though Amor has taken control of the punting duties, Penn State spread the other kicking duties around the special teams unit against Purdue.

Going into the game last week, head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] did note that senior [autotag]Jake Pinegar[/autotag] will be the team’s field goal kicker. Penn State didn’t attempt a field goal against Purdue, but Pinegar did convert all five PAT attempts in the game, suggesting he will handle the extra points as well.

Pinegar kicked off once out of the six times Penn State kicked off. [autotag]Sander Sahaydak[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabriel Nwosu[/autotag] each got involved on kickoff duty. Sahaydak took three kickoffs and Nwosi added two. All three kickers had one touchback as Franklin suggested this is a bit of a competition that will be ongoing until a comfortable decision can be made. Franklin suggested he would rotate kickoffs between Sahaydak and Nwosu against Purdue. That could carry over to Week 2 against Ohio.

The encouraging news is any competition dragging on is more because the options are keeping it tough in a good way and not because the staff is looking for the lesser of two evils.

Penn State faces Ohio on Saturday, September 10 at 12:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

[listicle id=23035]

[vertical-gallery id=19286]

[lawrence-related id=23053,23051,22920,22902,22809]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=none image=https://nittanylionswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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.

[listicle id=11403]

[lawrence-related id=20738,20726,20722,20720,20705]

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Blue-White Game Report Card: Grading Penn State’s spring football game

The grades are in for Penn State’s performance in the Blue-White Game.

Penn State’s spring game wasn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard, even in a modified scoring system. And fans wanting to see drastic improvement from the program that has gone .500 over the past two seasons may be left wondering if Penn State is set up for another mediocre season in Happy Valley after watching the Blue-White Game. But Penn State’s final spring practice of the year had some positive developments and some reminders that help is on the way over the summer.

And now the grades are in for Penn State’s performance during the Blue-White Game. Here’s how each position group was graded for the spring game in Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

Quarterback: C

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

A recurring theme when it comes to the offensive grades following Penn State’s game is probably chalked up to a simple “Eh, it could have been better.” That was the basic takeaway from the performance of the quarterbacks overall, but any expectation of any passer just lighting up the spring game may have been unreasonable.

We were never likely to see a whole lot out of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], the sixth-year senior who really has little more to prove at this point. We know pretty much exactly what Clifford is, and if given time to process the field, he can make plays. But he had some overthrown passes at times. He did, however, throw the game’s only touchdown of the game.

The backup competition behind Clifford is the real storyline here, and the future of [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] is what fans are eager to witness. But a rough spring debut for the true freshman shows there is still work to be done in the big picture. If based solely on one afternoon, [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag] proved he should be the team’s primary backup option heading into the season, although Allar should improve quickly.

[lawrence-related id=18562]

Next: Grading the running backs

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8

5 takeaways from Penn State’s Blue-White spring game

5 takeaways form Penn State’s Blue-White Gme

Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] admitted the 2022 Blue-White Game may not have been the best way to entertain fans and answer questions for the media, but he seemed to be pleased with the development of his team as the spring practices came to a close. Saturday’s Blue-White Game allowed plenty of players on the roster to get some opportunities to shine and, more importantly, just get some playing time in a scrimmage format.

With a roster with some key freshmen just joining the program, the expectations are high. But for a team coming off a pair of mediocre seasons, Penn State’s Blue-White Game may have felt a tad underwhelming for some fans watching.

But there are some takeaways you can have from what was largely a glorified scrimmage with a modified scoring system. Here are five that stood out to me.

Penn State jersey numbers for new football players

Penn State has updated the jersey numbers for freshmen football players and some new transfer players

While some programs may play some offseason gimmicks of forcing players to earn their jersey number or a helmet decal, Penn State doesn’t mess around with such uniform motivations. And on Friday, Penn State confirmed the jersey numbers to be worn by every incoming freshman or transfer player being added to the roster this fall.

Penn State has already given some new players an official jersey number, including those who enrolled early and participated in spring football. But a couple of new additions to the program this summer now have their official jersey numbers as well.

Here’s a look at the official jersey numbers for a number of the newest Nittany Lions;

  • No. 4 – CB Kalen King
  • No. 6 – CB Zakee Wheatley
  • No. 7 – S Jaylen Reed
  • No. 9 – QB  Christian Veilleux
  • No. 14 – CB A.J. Lytton
  • No. 17 – TE Khalil Dinkins
  • No. 18 – DE Davon Townley Jr.
  • No. 24 – CB Jeffrey Davis Jr.
  • No. 28 – LB Dominic Deluca
  • No. 41 – LB Kobe King
  • No. 42 – LB Jamari Buddin
  • No. 52 – DT Jordan Van Den Berg
  • No. 58 – OL Landon Tengwall
  • No. 68 – OL Eric Wilson
  • No. 82 – WR Liam Clifford
  • No. 85 – WR Harrison Wallace III
  • No. 90 – DE Rodney McGraw
  • No. 94 – K Sander Sahaydak

Penn State will begin preseason camp on August 6. Penn State’s season opener will be played on September 4 at Wisconsin. The game will be FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff.

Helmet sticker to Lions 247.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

[vertical-gallery id=2146]

[listicle id=4471]

[lawrence-related id=4892,4872,4870,4816,4807,4804,4795]