Byron Bennett's life after the infamous miss

[shyndy]

I don't understand people hating on kickers for losing games. Field goals are what happens when your team fails to score td's, and you always know that even the close field goals aren't guaranteed. And I say this having grown up a Bills fan, lol. Always felt terrible for that kicker.

[suh_fan93]

I don't understand people hating on kickers for losing games. Field goals are what happens when your team fails to score td's, and you always know that even the close field goals aren't guaranteed. And I say this having grown up a Bills fan, lol. Always felt terrible for that kicker.

 

I felt horrible for Scott Norwood. Talk about a nice guy. You're right. Missed field goal happens and I for one would not want that job especially when it comes to having to kick a field goal with the game on the line. No thanks!

[VA Husker Fan]

I don't understand people hating on kickers for losing games. Field goals are what happens when your team fails to score td's, and you always know that even the close field goals aren't guaranteed. And I say this having grown up a Bills fan, lol. Always felt terrible for that kicker.

Lots of reasons. Kickers aren't "real" football players so they don't get much respect. A decent percentage are foreigners, which further promotes that since they aren't "like us". Often they are undersized outsiders. Alex Karras used to imitate kickers, saying "I'm going to keeck a touchdown!" They look at sometimes are treated like not really being part of the team, so human nature is to turn on them when they miss.

 

And they are totally replaceable, so they make for an easy scapegoat. Lose a close game? It's hard to swap out a QB mid-season, or any other position really, or a coach. But would even the holder or snapper do anything different for a new kicker? You feel obliged to change something to acknowledge the problem of losing, so why not show you know how to "fix" the loss by replacing the kicker? If NFL GMs are blaming the kicker, why wouldn't fans?

 

At the end of many close games, teams don't actually fail to score a TD, but rather choose to run down the clock and set up for a FG attempt. This gives the impression that it's a sure thing, so a failure is unacceptable.

 

A lot of that is hogwash because it often ignores everything else that happened in the previous 59+ minutes. A baseball reliever gives up a homer in the bottom of the 9th in a 10-9 game, and he's the one who blew the game.

 

In Bennett's case, there was a lot of mayhem, getting the refs to acknowledge that the clock should've stopped for the 1st down, getting everyone off the field, getting the ball at the right spot, getting the FG team on, etc. After all that, the refs (correctly, IMO) went right into game mode meaning that as soon as they got the ball spotted and markers moved, the clock started so we had to instantly snap it. It wasn't like coming out of a timeout at all. Easy to see how the kick would be rushed. I was very disappointed but never blamed Bennett.

[southernoregonhusker]

I was never pissed at Bennett for missing that fg and I'll never forget that game.

Me neither. That kick was far from a gimme.

[gobiggergoredder]

Probably be pretty cool for his son if dad was introduced to 90K during a TV timeout at Memorial stadium.

 

Buy a couple of plane tickets and a hotel room Shawn. Get him up here.

[Moiraine]

FG kicker is probably the worst position to play. Punter is the best. Usually people don't remember shanks very long.

[NUance]

 

 

 

 

I'm glad Bennett had graduated when he missed the Orange Bowl FG. It would have been impossible for him to come back to campus and hear the jeers of jackass students.

True. But I'll bet that '95 championship would have exorcised some of his demons. And he wouldn't be remembered as the guy who missed the FG the year before.

Or he's haunted by the missed kick and is reminded about it every day by idiotic fans and he never becomes an effective kicker again. I think it worked out best for him and NU. NU was able to move forward with Seiler and Erstad the next year.

Donchya mean Kris Brown?

No, Seiler. Kris Brown didn't arrive until 95.

 

 

You're right. My bad.

[ColoradoHusk]

FG kicker is probably the worst position to play. Punter is the best. Usually people don't remember shanks very long.

I will always say that Erstad was one of the most valuable players in the '95 Orange Bowl. He flipped the field a couple times for NU in the 2nd half when the offense was struggling. Plus, he got super pumped up and emotional and that carried on to the defense.

[RedDenver]

I'm glad Bennett had graduated when he missed the Orange Bowl FG. It would have been impossible for him to come back to campus and hear the jeers of jackass students.

I was a student then and we lined the airport parking lot and the Devaney Center with cheers for the way the Huskers played. One of my favorite memories of Husker fans supporting the team.

 

In Bennett's case, there was a lot of mayhem, getting the refs to acknowledge that the clock should've stopped for the 1st down, getting everyone off the field, getting the ball at the right spot, getting the FG team on, etc. After all that, the refs (correctly, IMO) went right into game mode meaning that as soon as they got the ball spotted and markers moved, the clock started so we had to instantly snap it. It wasn't like coming out of a timeout at all. Easy to see how the kick would be rushed. I was very disappointed but never blamed Bennett.

The Huskers actually called a timeout with 1 sec left on the clock; otherwise there wouldn't have been time to even snap the ball.

[VA Husker Fan]

You're right, I went back and watched the last series on you tube and saw that we didn't have to rush the snap.

 

 

In Bennett's case, there was a lot of mayhem, getting the refs to acknowledge that the clock should've stopped for the 1st down, getting everyone off the field, getting the ball at the right spot, getting the FG team on, etc. After all that, the refs (correctly, IMO) went right into game mode meaning that as soon as they got the ball spotted and markers moved, the clock started so we had to instantly snap it. It wasn't like coming out of a timeout at all. Easy to see how the kick would be rushed. I was very disappointed but never blamed Bennett.

The Huskers actually called a timeout with 1 sec left on the clock; otherwise there wouldn't have been time to even snap the ball.

[CheeseHusker]

I've never blamed Byron.

 

Yes it is true that moments after that kick, I've perhaps never been more angry and upset over a result, but it had nothing to do with him. We were jobbed by the officials in that game, full stop.

[VA Husker Fan]

How is it that people still get so bent out of shape over Texas getting :01 back on the clock in the B12 CCG, but no problem that 0:01 got put back on for us at this game?

[knapplc]

How is it that people still get so bent out of shape over Texas getting :01 back on the clock in the B12 CCG, but no problem that 0:01 got put back on for us at this game?

 

Because we called a timeout with time left on the clock, whereas the officials put time on the clock for Texas.

[ColoradoHusk]

Actually the officials kind of put a second back on the clock. Bell caught the pass for a long gain and first down. The clock operator in the Orange Bowl allowed the time to run out, but it was deemed that Bell came down with 1 second left. Because the clock automatically stops on a first down in college, Osborne then was able to call a timeout while the clock was stopped.

[84HuskerLaw]

I was at that game and nobody was upset with the kicker after the game. Every Husker fan was actually quite pleased with the game and proud. It was the FSU fans who were dejected and disappointed and knew who the better team was. Many a Seminole fan walked up to us and congratulated us on a great game and commented on how we deserved to win and etc. Nebraska fans were quite comforted by that game. The kicker would not have been mistreated or abused or 'heckled' by many. I am not sure where this proposition comes from but I don't remember any negative comments about Byron. It was a very long, tough kick in the sand as the field was 'shot' and grasslass painted sand. You could hardly see the lines on the field by the end of thegame. No reasonable person at the game would have blamed him. He would have been a hero among many had he made the kick but the whole team played well.