Kicking Game

[ColoradoHusk]

This makes me miss the days when we had Alex Henry and Adi Kunalic.... 

This kicking game is already costing us big and I think its safe to assume it wont be fixed any time soon.

Just gotta keep plugging away but at this point I would see if the girls soccer team can lend us a goalie a few times a week. 

It's just a freak thing happening.  It sucks that it's happening, but I am not going to get super worked up about it.  I am sure it's frustrating the coaches, but I don't know what else they could be doing what they haven't done.

 

[billdozer15]

I don't know if the answer is using another scholly for a kicker. We're thin enough at other positions - just kind of a freak thing where the backup kicker (Jorgenson) is also hurt. Not sure why Heins, the other walk-on kicker, isn't an option. But it's pretty bizarre to have to resort to punters and I don't think you can keep 2 scholarship kickers happy, let alone justify another specialist scholarship.

I refuse to believe there aren't at least a couple kids on campus right now playing intramurals that could provide us another option. We are to the point where Frost should be scouting intramurals for a kicker....which is sad. 

 

[WyoHusker56]

I refuse to believe there aren't at least a couple kids on campus right now playing intramurals that could provide us another option. We are to the point where Frost should be scouting intramurals for a kicker....which is sad. 

They already did and added the kid to the roster. McCallum was a scholarship kicker at Air Force though who hadn't kicked in a while. I'm guessing he's better than anyone they can realistically add at this point.

 

[Mavric]

This makes me miss the days when we had Alex Henry and Adi Kunalic.... 

I've said for years that I'm not sure we appreciate how spoiled we've been with kickers over the years.  You watch other teams struggle to decide if they really want to attempt that 42 yard field goal.  We say "57 yards?  We got that."

The pendulum might have swung in the opposite direction the last few years.

 

[Minnesota_husker]

It's just a freak thing happening.  It sucks that it's happening, but I am not going to get super worked up about it.  I am sure it's frustrating the coaches, but I don't know what else they could be doing what they haven't done.

My comments werent implying this was anything but a freak situation nor could they have expected that their kicker and walk on backup kicker would both get injured.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

My comments werent implying this was anything but a freak situation nor could they have expected that their kicker and walk on backup kicker would both get injured.

My bad, sometimes I infer things from posts on this board.  It sucks that this situation is happening, and the team has to deal with it.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Anymore, you just have to chuckle and enjoy the humorous situation we are in.  It's not the coach's fault...nor the player's fault.  The situation just sucks.

So, have fun with it.  Realize it might cost us a game and if so, that fact doesn't mean much to indication of where the team is.  If we win a game by a field goal....it's a fun story.

 

[ZRod]

Anymore, you just have to chuckle and enjoy the humorous situation we are in.  It's not the coach's fault...nor the player's fault.  The situation just sucks.

So, have fun with it.  Realize it might cost us a game and if so, that fact doesn't mean much to indication of where the team is.  If we win a game by a field goal....it's a fun story.

So it's basically a wash for the year so far?

 

[BigRedBuster]

So it's basically a wash for the year so far?

yep

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Anymore, you just have to chuckle and enjoy the humorous situation we are in.  It's not the coach's fault...nor the player's fault.  The situation just sucks.

So, have fun with it.  Realize it might cost us a game and if so, that fact doesn't mean much to indication of where the team is.  If we win a game by a field goal....it's a fun story.

That's where I am with the kicking this year.  I get most frustrated with kick offs, but if McCallum makes a FG or two for NU during a game, I will treat it as a bonus.  I am not going to get mad at him or the coaches if a missed FG costs NU a game.

 

[Salsa Red]

I wonder if they drop pickering after the season and go for a new kicker. He struggled early last year and he was a part of the reason for our 0-6 start last year. He came on strong late last year and his kicks helped in the win vs MI state. In his 1.5 seasons he's only been an effective kicker for half a season. He seems like a great young man but he just can't be trusted to do his job.

 

[WyoHusker56]

Anymore, you just have to chuckle and enjoy the humorous situation we are in.  It's not the coach's fault...nor the player's fault.  The situation just sucks.

So, have fun with it.  Realize it might cost us a game and if so, that fact doesn't mean much to indication of where the team is.  If we win a game by a field goal....it's a fun story.

You could argue it cost us the CU game. Pickering could make that FG and we go into OT2 and see what happens.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

I wonder if they drop pickering after the season and go for a new kicker. He struggled early last year and he was a part of the reason for our 0-6 start last year. He came on strong late last year and his kicks helped in the win vs MI state. In his 1.5 seasons he's only been an effective kicker for half a season. He seems like a great young man but he just can't be trusted to do his job.

That's a bit harsh.  He struggled as a true freshman kicker early in the season, which happens a lot.  He was nails the last half of the season, and everyone thought he would be steady again this season.  The injury doesn't make him "untrustable", it just makes him a risk.  I agree that he's a question mark at kicker, so that's why I think the coaches bring in another kicker to compete with him for 2020.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Going into this a bit further:

Pickering was 14 or 18 (78%) in 2018.  Yes, he struggled a bit early, but his overall year was very good for a true frosh kicker.

For comparison, Kris Brown was only 12 of 19 in 96 and 14 of 21 in 98.  Drew Brown was 14 of 21 and 21 of 27 his first 2 years, before hitting 86% his last 2 seasons.  Only Alex Henery was nearly "automatic" during all 4 years at NU, and I believe he set the NCAA record for FG accuracy in a career.

 

[Mavric]

I wonder if they drop pickering after the season and go for a new kicker. He struggled early last year and he was a part of the reason for our 0-6 start last year. He came on strong late last year and his kicks helped in the win vs MI state. In his 1.5 seasons he's only been an effective kicker for half a season. He seems like a great young man but he just can't be trusted to do his job.

No