Ouch. As if Penn's kicking game needed more question marks. Freshmen Trevor Charlston and Dave Kuncio, along with sophomore A.J. Nobile have suffered setbacks in recent practices, coach Al Bagnoli said yesterday. Nonetheless, Nobile - who has never kicked for Penn - has emerged as the frontrunner.
Both Nobile and Kuncio hadn't kicked in the past week due to "fatigue from overkicking," Bagnoli said. However, Nobile did kick yesterday at practice.
Charlston is a victim of muscle contusions.
Nobile "has kind of jumped out in front," Bagnoli said. "He's missed a couple, but they were both 44 yards into the wind."
"We're still not totally settled, just because we have to give the other kids a chance, once their legs come back, to see what they can do under fire."
But Kuncio has done an impressive job on kickoffs, Bagnoli said, suggesting that the situation is still fluid. Right now, wide receiver Braden Lepisto, who took over late last year, is being treated as a last resort.
Whoever wins the job - the odds now strongly favor Nobile - will not be on a short leash, despite last year's woes.
"He's gotta produce, but I'm not certainly going to yank him [after] the first one he misses," Bagnoli said.
Penn lost four conference games by a total of eight points last year, owing in large part to missed kicks at crucial times.
Quarterback news: Robert Irvin didn't throw seriously for several months this past offseason, resuming only in July.
Offensive coordinator Bill Schmitz said on Aug. 27 that Irvin had surgery on his shoulder in January, but did not specify what the problem was. Irvin's summer hiatus from throwing, however, seems to be a separate issue from the surgery.
Irvin asserts he will fully recover before Penn's opener.
"My shoulder's feeling good, every once in a while it bothers me a little bit, but it's right on track to be great," Irvin said.
Bagnoli indicated yesterday that Irvin's time off was necessary because of overwork.
"We were trying to put him on a pitch count, just so the same thing doesn't happen [again]. He throws and he throws and he throws and after a while, you don't even realize it and your arm's dead."
The first prognosis was for Irvin to take a four-to-six week break in the early summer, Bagnoli said, but the coaching staff told him to take eight.
Widener again. Like it has for a while, Penn scrimmaged Widener this year. Coaches value the game more for procedural knowledge than for the odd big run or crushing hit.
"There are so many little things that you have to coach and teach," Bagnoli said. "Looking at 25-second clocks to sideline management to headphone communications to play charts that have to be recorded to personnel substitutions, and the list goes on and on."
"They know that there's going to be a delay of game penalty if they don't get the play off in time and that there [are] consequences, like there were [today in practice], when there are penalties . The kids have got to understand the significance of what's going on."
