skersOVRsc
Starter
Who did they say had this strong of leg before? Congdon was praised for his accuracy. Did I miss it?
Maybe we got us a field goal kicker
- Thread starter HuskerDaveTX
- Start date
husker rob
All-American
here is a good article from LJS
NU kicker welcomes challenge of 5 extra yards
By BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Wednesday, Aug 22, 2007 - 12:08:23 am CDT
Count Nebraska freshman kicker Adi Kunalic among those in favor of kickoffs beginning from the 30-yard line.
“I love it, man,” said Kunalic, noting he welcomes the challenge. “I love it. If we were still kicking it from the 35, I’d be getting it behind the end zone.
“Who knows where it would land?”
Oh, gee. What a problem.
Actually, in practice, Kunalic’s booming leg sometimes does screw things up … for the return team.
“Coach (Randy) Jordan gets mad at me,” Kunalic said. “He’s always like, ‘Let ’em return it!’ I’ll be like, ‘I’m sorry.’”
Yes, the return unit must adjust to the new rule, too.
“It’s going to have an impact on the game,” Nebraska special teams coach Bill Busch said.
“You always look at, ‘What’s the kickoff team going to do?’ Are they going to kick the same exact ball? Are they going to try to place balls more? I don’t know. Everyone’s got different thoughts, I’m sure.”
The NCAA rules oversight panel voted in March to move kickoffs from the 35 to the 30 — the same as the NFL — in part to keep the game moving and provide more excitement.
It also went back to the old clock rules. Unlike last season, the clock will again stop on change of possession until the ball is snapped. On kickoffs, the clock won’t start until touched by the receiving team.
That figures to happen more often, what with kickers pushed back 5 yards.
Busch said the new rule puts a premium on having a strong kicker along with athletic players on a team’s coverage unit.
“It makes you think about some stuff,” Busch said, noting he’s done extensive research with NFL kickoffs. “You’ve got to play in space.”
Nebraska last season ranked 16th nationally and second in the Big 12 in kickoff return coverage — an improvement from No. 104 nationally three years ago.
However, of 77 kickoffs last season from the 35-yard line, only 12 were touchbacks. Eight were by Jake Wesch (in 33 kicks). A junior, he will battle Kunalic for kickoff duties.
Wesch’s thoughts on the rule change?
“You really try not to think about it,” said Wesch, noting the extra yardage puts even more emphasis on hang time.
“We’re continuing to position the ball. We’ve worked every aspect, whether it’s right, left, middle, sky kicks. We’re trying to cover them all, just because now, more than ever, you’re going to need a bigger arsenal of kicks.”
The biggest kick, of course, would be one that crosses the goal line.
Kunalic said he’s driven kickoffs as far as 7 yards deep, into the wind. Of his five live kickoffs in each practice, at least four, he said, are touchbacks.
“Most of them are in the end zone,” Kunalic said, “unless they want me to do some special thing.”
Like, perhaps, give the return unit a chance to do its thing, too.
Rule change or no, there’s work to be done here. Last season, Nebraska ranked No. 112 nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 17.4 yards.
Coaches have tried a slew of return men in practice this fall — some new, some not. Among the new faces is senior Andre Jones.
“We’ve really been putting a lot of emphasis on (returns), just making sure we get our keys corrected, that we go out there and we all can depend on each other,” Jones said. “A returner has to depend on the blockers, the blockers have to depend on us to make good returns.”
Terrence Nunn, Cortney Grixby, Frantz Hardy and Rickey Thenarse are other potential candidates on kickoff returns. Some freshmen, like Marcus Mendoza and Roy Helu, have also gotten looks.
“It doesn’t matter what position or where he is on the depth chart,” Busch said. “If he’s that guy who can make an explosive play. …”
NU kicker welcomes challenge of 5 extra yards
By BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Wednesday, Aug 22, 2007 - 12:08:23 am CDT
Count Nebraska freshman kicker Adi Kunalic among those in favor of kickoffs beginning from the 30-yard line.
“I love it, man,” said Kunalic, noting he welcomes the challenge. “I love it. If we were still kicking it from the 35, I’d be getting it behind the end zone.
“Who knows where it would land?”
Oh, gee. What a problem.
Actually, in practice, Kunalic’s booming leg sometimes does screw things up … for the return team.
“Coach (Randy) Jordan gets mad at me,” Kunalic said. “He’s always like, ‘Let ’em return it!’ I’ll be like, ‘I’m sorry.’”
Yes, the return unit must adjust to the new rule, too.
“It’s going to have an impact on the game,” Nebraska special teams coach Bill Busch said.
“You always look at, ‘What’s the kickoff team going to do?’ Are they going to kick the same exact ball? Are they going to try to place balls more? I don’t know. Everyone’s got different thoughts, I’m sure.”
The NCAA rules oversight panel voted in March to move kickoffs from the 35 to the 30 — the same as the NFL — in part to keep the game moving and provide more excitement.
It also went back to the old clock rules. Unlike last season, the clock will again stop on change of possession until the ball is snapped. On kickoffs, the clock won’t start until touched by the receiving team.
That figures to happen more often, what with kickers pushed back 5 yards.
Busch said the new rule puts a premium on having a strong kicker along with athletic players on a team’s coverage unit.
“It makes you think about some stuff,” Busch said, noting he’s done extensive research with NFL kickoffs. “You’ve got to play in space.”
Nebraska last season ranked 16th nationally and second in the Big 12 in kickoff return coverage — an improvement from No. 104 nationally three years ago.
However, of 77 kickoffs last season from the 35-yard line, only 12 were touchbacks. Eight were by Jake Wesch (in 33 kicks). A junior, he will battle Kunalic for kickoff duties.
Wesch’s thoughts on the rule change?
“You really try not to think about it,” said Wesch, noting the extra yardage puts even more emphasis on hang time.
“We’re continuing to position the ball. We’ve worked every aspect, whether it’s right, left, middle, sky kicks. We’re trying to cover them all, just because now, more than ever, you’re going to need a bigger arsenal of kicks.”
The biggest kick, of course, would be one that crosses the goal line.
Kunalic said he’s driven kickoffs as far as 7 yards deep, into the wind. Of his five live kickoffs in each practice, at least four, he said, are touchbacks.
“Most of them are in the end zone,” Kunalic said, “unless they want me to do some special thing.”
Like, perhaps, give the return unit a chance to do its thing, too.
Rule change or no, there’s work to be done here. Last season, Nebraska ranked No. 112 nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 17.4 yards.
Coaches have tried a slew of return men in practice this fall — some new, some not. Among the new faces is senior Andre Jones.
“We’ve really been putting a lot of emphasis on (returns), just making sure we get our keys corrected, that we go out there and we all can depend on each other,” Jones said. “A returner has to depend on the blockers, the blockers have to depend on us to make good returns.”
Terrence Nunn, Cortney Grixby, Frantz Hardy and Rickey Thenarse are other potential candidates on kickoff returns. Some freshmen, like Marcus Mendoza and Roy Helu, have also gotten looks.
“It doesn’t matter what position or where he is on the depth chart,” Busch said. “If he’s that guy who can make an explosive play. …”
