LINCOLN, Neb.—Alex Henery's soft-spoken, aw-shucks demeanor only goes so far. The record-setting kicker for 14th-ranked Nebraska is a fierce competitor who's intent on being the best, whether he says so or not. He played coy this week when it was pointed out that he'll go into Saturday's game against No. 7 Missouri having made a school record-tying 17 consecutive field goals.
"I didn't know I had 17 in a row going until you guys said it," he told reporters.
When someone said Missouri's Grant Ressel hadn't missed a field goal this season, Henery swiftly corrected the error.
"He has missed one this year," he said. "I think he's 13 of 14."
Henery is 9 for 9 and bidding to go down as one of the most accurate kickers in NCAA history. His three field goals in last week's win at Oklahoma State allowed him to break Kris Brown's school career record of 57 from 1995-98.
"No doubt about it, he's the best in the history of our program," said Brown, now with the San Diego Chargers. "Just his accuracy. He produces."
Henery's 89.4-percent career accuracy on field goals is ahead of the NCAA-record 87.8 percent by Florida's Bobby Raymond.
"I've won and lost a lot of football games as a coach and player based on a kicker's foot," coach Bo Pelini said. "It's an important job and, believe me, we feel very fortunate to have a guy like him in that position."
Henery has hit 76.9 percent from 40 yards or longer (20 of 26), well
Advertisement ahead of the national record of 72.1 percent by Georgia's Billy Bennett. His 97.5-percent accuracy from inside 40 yards (39 of 40) is just ahead of Raymond's record 97 percent. Two years ago Henery kicked a record 57-yard field goal to beat Colorado. Last year, he single-leggedly kept the Huskers in the Big 12 championship game with four field goals in the 13-12 loss to Texas.
"Offensively we really couldn't do anything, and he was the one who really scored all our points," Brown said. "Any time you have a guy who goes out there and puts the ball through the uprights like that, as consistent as he does, it's pretty impressive."
Henery's signature moment this season came in his role as punter against Oklahoma State.
The competitor from within emerged on fourth-and-8 from his 22 when he noticed that Justin Blatchford had pushed a punt-blocker to the inside to clear a wide running lane. Henery caught the snap and moved to the side, as if he would launch a rugby-style punt. But with open field in front of him, he took off and angled across the middle for a 27-yard gain. The Huskers scored a touchdown three plays later.
"For 27 yards," he said, "it felt like I ran a mile. It's something I saw that was open, so I took the chance. It led to a touchdown. It got our momentum going."
Henery said he wouldn't have been satisfied to simply make the yards needed for the first down. The lanky senior said he had no fear of getting crushed when OSU's Josh Cooper knocked him down with a solid shoulder hit.
Pelini was excited initially. But on second thought, Pelini realized that one of his most valuable players had put himself at risk for injury.
"I told him if that ever happens again," Pelini said, "you get your butt down."
Henery ended up at Nebraska as a walk-on after he declined a soccer scholarship from Creighton in Omaha. Pelini gave him a scholarship last year, and he responded by making a school-record 24 of 28 field goals.
"No, I never thought I'd be at this point," Henery said. "I played soccer when I was young. I never dreamed of playing football or even wanted to try it, really, until my soccer coach suggested I go out for it."
Henery likens his art to that of playing golf, another one of his passions. He consistently shoots in the 70s.
"You don't want to shank one," he said. "It kind of ruins your score."
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