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Kickin’ Ficken Returns To The Rams After Starting Kicker Injured

Seems like the city of Angels can’t stop calling Sam Ficken’s name. 

Or maybe he just likes filling in for Greg Zuerlein. 

The Los Angeles Rams signed the former Penn State kicker to a contract Monday evening after Zuerlein, their starting kicker, was injured during pregame warmups for the Rams’ week two matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

Punter Johnny Hekker took over as the team’s field goal kicker during the Rams’ shutout victory, but Ficken was brought in to assume place-kicking duties while Zuerlein sits out for “a few weeks.”

This is the Nittany Lion’s second stint with the organization. He made two appearances for the Rams at the end of last season and featured in their playoff loss to Atlanta while Zuerlein was sidelined with a back injury.

Ficken made five of six extra points and four of five field goals during his time with the team last year. He was released at the end of training camp after Zuerlein proved healthy enough to start the season. 

Ficken finished his career in Happy Valley with 54 successful field goal attempts and a 97 percent conversion rate on extra points. He immortalized himself as a Penn State legend when he drilled the game-tying and winning field goals against Boston College in the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl.

The victory was the program’s first postseason win in the post-sanctions era and capped off James Franklin’s first season as head coach.

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About the Author

Mikey Mandarino

In the most upsetting turn of events, Mikey graduated from Penn State with a digital & print journalism degree in the spring of 2020. He covered Penn State football and served as an editor for Onward State from 2018 until his graduation. Mikey is from Bedminster, New Jersey, so naturally, he spends lots of time yelling about all the best things his home state has to offer. Mikey also loves to play golf, but he sucks at it because golf is really hard. If you, for some reason, feel compelled to see what Mikey has to say on the internet, follow him on Twitter @Mikey_Mandarino. You can also get in touch with Mikey via his big-boy email address: [email protected]

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