Who is Penn State's team MVP through seven games? Defensive tackle Devon Still is the obvious and best answer for his superb play and great leadership, while running back Silas Redd would seem to be the top choice on offense.
Neither one of those guys, however, has single-handedly turned the team's weakest component into one of its strengths. That distinction goes to kicker Anthony Fera, who at least deserves to be in the conversation for team MVP after saving what started out to be an atrocious kicking game.
Fera kicked three field goals in Saturday's 23-18 win over Purdue, then with the game on the line, he booted a 69-yard punt that pinned the Boilermakers at the 2 with only 2:36 to play.
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"Anthony did a great job punting and kicking today," quarterback Matt McGloin said after the game.
Fera is 9-of-10 on field goals this season, with his only miss a 52-yarder at Indiana. Seven of his kicks have been inside of 30 yards and he has a long of just 40, but even though he hasn't been called upon much for long distances, he has solidified what had been a train wreck of a situation in the kicking game.
Long forgotten are the struggles of Evan Lewis, who opened the season going 1-for-5 as the place-kicker because Fera had been suspended for a game after an alcohol-related incident in the summer.
"I just had to man up, take the punishment as it was, not argue with it and come back when they allowed me to," Fera said of his suspension.
Fera is also averaging 43.8 yards per punt, ranking third in the Big Ten, and he handles kickoffs, too.
Kickers and versatility aren't usually mentioned in the same sentence, but Fera has established himself as the most versatile PSU kicker in nearly four decades. He's the first Nittany Lion to handle place-kicking, punting and kickoff duties since Chris Bahr way back in 1975.
Bahr, who went on to have a successful NFL career and won two Super Bowls with the Raiders (1980 and '83 seasons), said handling all three duties can make things easier for a kicker.
"In the games it's actually nice to do all three because it keeps you in the game," said Bahr, who now lives in Boalsburg.
Bahr doesn't watch much Penn State football these days -- he prefers playing golf on Saturday afternoons -- but he knows enough about the team to know its offense has struggled to score points. Given that, Bahr believes Fera can be more effective because he's handling all the kicking duties.
"Especially with a team like they have ... when you're not scoring points, at least you're punting and you're in the game," Bahr said. "If you're just kicking and you're not scoring, you may sit around for a couple hours and not do anything."
Multi-tasking in games may be easier for someone in Fera's position, but Bahr said devoting an appropriate amount of time to each aspect in practice is more difficult.
"That's what he's probably finding that he has to do is be much more precise about the time he has with each and make sure you're making the best of your practice time," Bahr said. "You can't expect to kick 50 field goals and make 50 punts and expect to be fresh come Saturday.
"I probably practiced most on the field goals," Bahr added. "I tried to limit the punting to some extent. It's not so much you have to choose one over the other, it's just purely from wearing yourself out leg-wise. I always figured you had a finite amount of swings in your leg."
Fera described himself as "more of a natural field-goal kicker than punter," and so far he's excelled at both. His jobs will be much more important as PSU gets into the meat of its schedule against much better competition, and if the Lions are to pull off upsets against the likes of Nebraska, Ohio State or Wisconsin, Fera undoubtedly will have to perform well.
"He looks like he's hitting the ball well the few times I've seen him," said Bahr, who was watching on TV when Fera drilled a 40-yard field goal Saturday.
Penn State's red zone issues have been well-chronicled, but imagine how this season would be playing out had the field-goal problems remained, as well. Just think of all those scoring chances that netted only three points having resulted in no points, then consider the mental impact that would have had on the entire team in close games.
This hasn't been the most exciting season so far, but at least Penn State is 6-1. It probably wouldn't be without Fera.
Cory Giger is the host of "Sports Central" from 4 to 6 p.m. daily on ESPN Radio 1430 WVAM. Reach him at 949-7031 or @CoryGiger on Twitter.
