Why didn't Penn State football use Jake Pinegar in the opener at Wisconsin?
Jake Pinegar's official Penn State football bio lists him as the team's "primary kicker" for the 2020 season.
Fast forward a year, and that is no longer the case.
Jordan Stout handled kickoffs, field goals, extra points, and punts last Saturday in a 16-10 win over Wisconsin. It was a bit of a surprise, as Pinegar, at the very least, has been called on for field goals generally inside of 40 yards and also extra points over the last two years. Yet, when it came time for those, it was Stout, Stout, and Stout again, despite the fact that Pinegar traveled to Camp Randall Stadium and was available.
Why was that the case?
"It really came down to camp," Franklin said. "I say this to [the media] all the time, and I don't know if you guys always necessarily believe me, but at each position, whether it's the starting quarterback or starting kicker, you compete for it every year, you compete for it every camp, you compete for it every week, and we track everything. Literally, every kick.
"The consistency, the accuracy, the snap, the hold, the location; we have field goal percentage rates, we have hang time on punts, and kicks' distance, and all those types of things, and based on all the numbers of training camp, you know, [Stout] won the job now."
Stout was ultimately the Big Ten's specialist of the week after he made a 24-yard field goal, averaged 53.9 yards per punt on seven attempts, and kicked four touchbacks. But, he also blasted off the upright and missed a 23-yard field goal.
Franklin acknowledged that having one player perform all of those roles could be taxing, but he added that the program has reached out to "national kicking gurus" for insight on how to manage practice reps and other things during the preseason and season to ensure the Cedar Bluff, Va., native stays fresh.
And, if you think that a change will be made off of just one performance, think again.
"Obviously we won't make that determination off of one game," Franklin said. "We got to get those things cleaned up, there's no doubt about it. I'm also very, very proud of him because some guys wouldn't be able to handle that well. That would seep into the kickoff, that would seep into the punting, and the guy was the Special Teams Player the week in the Big Ten, so I do think he took the right approach.
"We talk about six seconds at a time, you know, being your best one play at a time and no matter what happens at the end of that play, you move on to the next one and do it again, both mentally, physically and emotionally and I thought Jordan did a great job of that."
Pinegar could have a role in the future, of course, especially if the multitasking becomes too much for Stout as the season moves along. So, don't write off No. 92 just yet, but now we know why he wasn't performing his usual duties in the opener.
"I think Jake Pinegar still has a tremendous future," Franklin said. We're going to need him at some point this year as well, and I know he's approaching it that way."
Penn State continues its 2021 season on Saturday opposite Ball State. Kickoff from Beaver Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, and Fox Sports One will televise the matchup.
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