Penn football's sophomore punter Ben Krimm didn't see much game action as a freshman; no longer a backup, he's hoping to change that as soon as the Quakers return to the field.
Credit: Chase SuttonSpecial teams. Special plays. Special players.
Growing up as a Baltimore Ravens fan, I’ve been spoiled with good special teams play (minus that one Billy Cundiff miss in the 2012 AFC Championship game that we don’t talk about). In a game where the margins of error are so slim, there’s comfort as a fan in knowing that Justin Tucker is automatic.
Good special team play is the basis of a championship caliber football team. In addition to scoring points off of field goals and extra points, special teams also plays a huge role in field position. A good punt can pin the opponent deep inside its own territory and increase the chances for the defense to rack up a safety. Similarly, a good kick return can greatly shorten the distance that the offense needs to move down the field to put up points.
In short, special teams is the often forgotten unit of football. And you only really hear about them when they mess up. Yet, they play a huge role in deciding the outcome of any given game.
Take Penn football’s latest outing against Bucknell as an example.
After a 2023 season that saw Bucknell win just one game in Patriot League play and finish with a middling 4-7 record, the Bison have flipped the script in just one offseason. One major reason has been the emergence of wide receiver TJ Cadden — not as a member of the receiving corps — but as a kick returner. For reference, Cadden currently leads all college football players this season with three return touchdowns.
In Bucknell’s latest win against Lehigh, a 100-yard kick return touchdown from Cadden ultimately helped turn the tides in favor of the Bison in a double over-time win. But for all the hype that the Bucknell special teams unit had garnered entering the Saturday afternoon affair with the Quakers, it ultimately cost Bucknell its chances at taking down the Red and Blue.
The Bison kicking unit left nine points on the gridiron as kicker Matt Schearer missed all three of his field goal attempts from 26, 44, and 49 yards respectively.
In what ultimately ended up being a 10-point game, those nine points ended up mattering quite a bit. The biggest loss there was the momentum heading into the halftime break. If Schearer had nailed the first two field goals, then it would have been Bucknell heading into the lockers with a three point lead instead of Penn.
Playing from behind and playing with the lead usually involves two different sets of play calls. Coming out of the break while playing from behind would’ve taken the ball out of the hands of Penn’s best player: sophomore running back Malachi Hosley. Having the lead meant that the Quakers could consistently hand the ball off to Hosley to grind out yardage while draining the play clock. And Hosley did just that, racking up 109 yards in the third and fourth quarters alongside a pair of rushing touchdowns.
Another aspect of the game that ended up making a difference was kick returns. With all the talk about great collegiate kick returners centered around Cadden entering the game, Penn senior wide receiver Julien “Juice” Stokes made sure that everyone knew that he was equally potent as a returner.
Cadden started off the game strong with a 40-yard return on the opening kickoff to set the tone for the rest of the game. But while Cadden shone, the other players on the Bison kick return unit struggled, with muffed kickoffs costing the team on starting field position. In fact, as the game progressed, Bucknell was forced to play it safe with fair catches after the team almost gave Penn the ball back deep inside its own territory.
On the other side of the ball, Stokes matched Cadden, with his first return of the day going for 45 yards. His other two returns of the day were 42 and 17 yards respectively. All three of his returns gave Penn great starting position and ultimately contributed to Penn winning the game.
As a huge fan of great special teams play, one thing I’m excited to see moving forward is when the Quakers plan on executing the fake extra point attempt that they keep lining up for. They’ve shown the look almost every time, but they have yet to actually snap the ball while in that formation.
When I asked him after the game, coach Ray Priore said with a laugh, “We’ll let you call it when we do.”
Personally, I’m excited to see it happen — it’s always great when special teams pull off a great trick play. Who knows? Maybe that fake extra point will be the deciding point in Penn reclaiming the Ivy League throne down the line.
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