Penn State may have solved its biggest problem in Week 6 win over UCLA

James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions are off to a 5-0 start after a 27-11 Week 6 home victory over UCLA. Penn State already has a top-20 victory on its resume, beating then No. 19 Illinois in Week 5 21-7. Franklin’s new coordinator hires on both sides of the football, Andy Kotelnicki on offense and Tom Allen on defense have both impressed through the start of their first season in Happy Valley, but Franklin still hadn’t solved his team’s biggest problem. 

It was a problem that reared its ugly head in that 21-7 win over the Fighting Illini which should have been by more. Junior kicker Sander Sahaydak missed two field goals in Week 5 and was just two for five on the season. For his career, Sahaydak has only made three of his nine attempts and only one over 40 yards. So, in Week 6, Franklin trotted out freshman Ryan Barker. 

Barker made all three of his extra points against UCLA and more importantly, knocked in a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter to extend the Nittany Lion lead to 17-3 and later in the fourth, connected from 40 yards out. 

The FOX cameras found Franklin after Barker’s made kicks and he let his excitement be known on the sidelines. Barker will be Penn State’s kicker going forward and he’ll need to continue to prove himself in higher-pressure situations. The Nittany Lions could get by against Illinois with Sahaydak’s two misses and could’ve survived some growing pains from Barker against UCLA, but next week, Franklin’s team will travel to LA to face No. 11 USC and every possession will be precious. 

If Franklin is going to take Penn State to the College Football Playoff for the first time, even with 12 spots, he’ll need a win over the Trojans on his team’s resume. That could come down to a kick, so Franklin deserves credit for not sticking with Sahaydak until it’s too late.