Penn State kicker Ficken fails to deliver

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - A severe-thunderstorm warning flashed across the scoreboard video screen at Scott Stadium on Saturday afternoon, but most of the 56,000 orange-clad fans didn't see it.

Most of their eyes were fixed on a 6-foot-2, 172-pound sophomore from Indiana standing on Penn State's sideline: Sam Ficken, the kicker.

With one second left, a light mist surrounding the stadium morphed into a steady rain. Penn State coach Bill O'Brien sent Ficken and his unit onto the field for a 42-yard attempt.

O'Brien said that if five or six more seconds remained, he would have tried to move the ball closer. If it were a few yards farther away, he wouldn't have attempted it.

But as time expired, Ficken took the kick, which would have given O'Brien his first win as a head coach. The ball sailed wide left. Virginia players stormed the field as the Cavaliers (2-0) defeated Penn State (0-2), 17-16.

Ficken stood still. It was his fourth missed field goal of the game (the others were from 40, 38, and 20 yards). He also had an extra point blocked after a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Afterward, O'Brien told the 19-year-old: "The sun will come out tomorrow."

The sun did appear as Virginia fans sang the alma mater, and the Cavaliers ran into the tunnel after an on-field celebration. Then it poured in Charlottesville.

"It's never always about the kicker," O'Brien said. "The kicker is always the one to get blamed, but it's the whole operation - the snap, the hold, the kick."

Ficken, who made a 32-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter, was not made available after the game. His teammates said the kicker was visibly upset.

"He's a great team guy, so he's obviously going to accept responsibility," guard John Urschel said. "It's not him at all. We lost as a team."

Ficken took over kicking duties this summer after Anthony Fera transferred to Texas. Fera - an all-Big Ten punter who became the first Penn State player in more than 30 years to handle field goals, kickoffs, and punts - has not played yet for the Longhorns, sidelined with a groin injury.

Ficken, a dean's list selection last spring, did not attempt a field goal in last week's 24-14 loss to Ohio. But in the fourth quarter Saturday, when Ficken lined up for the extra point after Allen Robinson's 30-yard touchdown reception, Virginia fans standing on the hill behind the end zone began to chant.

"Ninety-seven!" they taunted, clapping five times. "Ninety-seven!"

They knew the 19-year-old was fragile, and his extra point attempt was blocked.

"We have another game in a week," center Matt Stankiewitch said. "Hopefully we'll score a touchdown, or he can kick a field goal, and he'll have another chance to make it."

O'Brien said he and his staff will have to talk about it, but, for now, Ficken is Penn State's kicker.