Penn State's kicking game struggled mightily in Saturday's victory against Indiana State, as place kicker Evan Lewis missed two field goals and an extra point.
For that reason, it came as little surprise on Tuesday when coach Joe Paterno announced at his weekly press conference that he expects suspended punter/kicker Anthony Fera to return for this week's game against No. 2 ranked Alabama at Beaver Stadium. He also said he expects Fera's doghouse mates, running back Stephfon Green and cornerback Derrick Thomas to be "part of the ball game" as well.
"I asked them to meet so that they understood what this program is all about" Paterno said. "I think that we all feel comfortable that that they all deserve...that they're ready to go."
Even with Fera in the fray, however, Paterno acknowledged the kicking situation is still "up in the air" and that he's not sure what players will fill what roles this week. He said the staff will take the rest of the week of practice to evaluate and go from there.
It should also be interesting to see where Green fits into a Penn State backfield that had a lot of success on Saturday. Between Silas Redd, Brandon Beachum and Curtis Dukes, the Nittany Lions' tailbacks got the job done to the tune of 192 combined yards against Indiana State. Whether there's a role for Green, the senior, in that group at the moment remains to be seen, but he should be in uniform regardless.