NFL won't be overlooking Henery

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Nexus

All-American
LINCOLN — The Big 12 unveiled its all-conference team on Tuesday, determined by league coaches, and Nebraska’s Alex Henery failed again to make the first team.
This comes a week after the announcement of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, presented annually to the nation’s top place-kicker. No Henery there, either.

Clearly, the people who determine these honors aren’t watching Henery closely enough — or at all.

There’s little these days on which NU fans, coaches, players and media entirely agree. In fact, this might be the only thing: Alex Henery is the best kicker in college football.

“There’s nobody better,” right guard Ricky Henry said.

Henery, set to start his 52nd game Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium, needs one point to break the Huskers’ all-time scoring record. He’s 16 of 17 on field goals this year. His only miss, a 51-yarder into the wind against Missouri, was blocked.

As the nation watched Kyle Brotzman of Boise State miss two potential game-winners from less than 30 yards last weekend to spoil the Broncos’ perfect season, Henery plugged right along. He’s unrealistically clutch while playing more than half of his games at the wind tunnel also known as Memorial Stadium.

Really, what more can you say about Henery? He’s the best kicker in school history, and that’s a mouthful at Nebraska, which, as recently as 2008, had two former punters and two place-kickers starting in the NFL.

Henery isn’t just the best kicker in the country. He’s making a case as the best at his position in NCAA history.

A list of the records he’s on pace to break:

• Career accuracy on field goals. Henery has made 66 of 74 (89.2 percent). The record is 87.8 percent by Bobby Raymond of Florida.

• Career accuracy from longer than 40 yards. Henery is 24 of 31 (77.4 percent). The record is 72.1 percent by Georgia’s Billy Bennett.

• Career accuracy from inside 40 yards. Henery is 42 of 43 (97.7 percent). The record is 97 percent by Raymond.

• Career accuracy on all kicks, including extra points. Henery is 256 of 265 (96.6 percent). The record is 94.9 percent by Jeff Wolfert of Missouri.

“It’s really hard to comprehend that he wouldn’t be considered one of the top three kickers in the country,” said Nebraska assistant John Papuchis, who coaches Henery and the special teams. “I feel bad for Alex, that he’s not getting the recognition that he deserves.”

The Groza Award selects its finalists in much the same way as the Heisman Trophy. A voting body of more than 400, made up of media, coaches, conference representatives and former winners, chooses a top three from a list of 20 semifinalists, which included Henery.

The votes are tabulated by an independent accounting firm and reported to the Palm Beach (Fla.) County Sports Commission, which names its winner next week at the College Football Awards Show.

The finalists are Oklahoma State’s Dan Bailey, also the first-team All-Big 12 pick who has made 24 of 28 field goals; Danny Hrapmann of Southern Miss, 26 of 30 on field goals; and David Ruffer of Notre Dame, 15 of 15 on field goals. Ruffer, though, has missed three extra points.

Henery has made 113 straight extra points, including 51 this season. And by the way, none of the finalists punt for their teams. Henery is pretty good at that, too, averaging 43.5 yards per attempt with 23 downed inside the 20-yard line.

“I think it’s crazy,” NU coach Bo Pelini said. “But when it’s all said and done — when the guys who know, the guys who really watch — and it comes draft time, I think it will be obvious where he is in the pecking order.”

Gil Brandt, the NFL.com analyst and former Dallas Cowboys executive, classifies Henery as a draftable prospect. He’ll get an invite to the NFL combine, Brandt said, where kickers usually perform poorly under the intense scrutiny in an unusual setting.

It’s hard to imagine the pressure will faze Henery — the only person, it seems, who’s not upset about these snubs from the Big 12 coaches and the Groza voters.

“I don’t have much of a take on it,” he said. “I’m more worried about wins.”

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Alex Henery can put this "trophy" up on his mantle next year

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Good for Bo and JP to at least call out the injustice in support of Henery. I know Bo's philosphy on "team" etc, but I was always kind of put off by the fact he didn't get behind Suh's Heisman campaign a little more last year. To win that thing it takes as much of a marketing effort on behalf of the coaches/university as it does a spectacular season by a player. Regardless, he wasn't winning...but it would have been nice for Pelini to put at least a little effort into it. Politician Pelini is not.

 
This just iritates the sh#t out of me, there is some blind SOB's out there, I hope they feel good about ripping this great kicer off. Just look at the all time records he should break this year. Screw them all.

 
Unlikely unless a team is going to carry 2 kickers. Which is just unlikely. I think teams will place way more priority on FG accuracy than on power, and kickoffs being last on the order.

Adi would have to prove he is a capable field goal kicker, which he doesn't have a resume for in college, but I suppose he could surprise. Plenty of people who have top notch resumes in college never really make it in the league though.

 
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kchusker_chris said:
Good for Bo and JP to at least call out the injustice in support of Henery. I know Bo's philosphy on "team" etc, but I was always kind of put off by the fact he didn't get behind Suh's Heisman campaign a little more last year. To win that thing it takes as much of a marketing effort on behalf of the coaches/university as it does a spectacular season by a player. Regardless, he wasn't winning...but it would have been nice for Pelini to put at least a little effort into it. Politician Pelini is not.
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you obviously were not paying attention to bo's pressers last year then. he may not have put his picture up on times square, but every time he was asked about suh and his heisman chances, and even when he wasnt prodded he supported the kid more than anyone else could. Pelini even went to the show, and wasnt exactly comfortable with the winner announced when he was there.

i thought bo and co did a fine damn nebraska job of supporting suh for the heisman last year. they even had the suh93 website. to say the university wasnt behind a suh for heisman campaign is ignorant. you need to seriously recheck your facts.

 
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