Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
Freshmen Potter, Turner getting their kicks
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
In high school, Zach Potter used special teams as a break from duties at tight end and defensive end.
At Nebraska, Potter is using special teams to make his mark.
The 6-foot-7, 270-pound Potter, a true freshman from Omaha Creighton Prep, has been credited with two blocked kicks this season, which is two more than he anticipated when the Huskers began preseason drills in August.
“Coming in, everyone thought I was going to redshirt, and I thought I was going to redshirt,” Potter said. “Once I found out I was going to be playing and traveling, I decided I’d just try to make the most of it.”
Potter, a reserve defensive end, recorded one of the two blocked field goals that helped Nebraska escape with a 7-6 win against Pittsburgh on Sept. 17. In NU’s Nov. 12 win against Kansas State, Potter blocked a first-quarter extra-point attempt and had a hand in a blocked field goal in the third quarter that was officially credited to fellow freshman Barry Turner. The blocks helped the Huskers prevail 27-25.
“If I don’t do anything the rest of my career here — and hopefully I’ll do some stuff — people will remember me as a field-goal blocker,” Potter said.
The 6-3, 250-pound Turner, a backup defensive end from Antioch, Tenn., also blocked a field goal Oct. 29 against Oklahoma.
There is no secret to their success, Potter said.
“It’s just a matter of getting your hands up,” he said. “Barry and I get in position at the right time and get our hands up. A lot of it is watching film of the kicker to see where he kicks it. A lot of kickers kick it low.”
Not Colorado’s Mason Crosby. The junior from Georgetown, Texas, is 19-for-24 on field goals and has the longest field goal of the season in Division I-A, a 58-yard boot in a 23-3 loss to Miami in September.
“He gets it up pretty high,” Potter said. “We have to make sure we get an extra push on the guys in front of us.”
Potter said he typically uses senior lineman Le Kevin Smith to help him elevate, while Turner uses either Ola Dagunduro or Titus Adams.
“We push them into the line of scrimmage, jump and try to get as high as we can and get a piece of the ball,” Potter said.
He said they push the limits of the rule that forbids using linemen to gain height.
“We’re not supposed to use them to jump higher, but it happens so quick that the refs don’t usually see it,” Potter said.
All told, Nebraska (6-4, 3-4 Big 12) has blocked seven kicks this season, including five field goals (the school record for total blocks is 10 in 1999). In addition to Potter and Turner, senior linebacker Adam Ickes has blocked two field-goal attempts, and senior safety Daniel Bullocks has blocked a punt.
While Turner also has made a mark this season as an explosive pass-rusher — he ranks third on the team with six sacks — Potter has played sparingly on regular downs. Nevertheless, he feels OK about burning his redshirt.
“At first, I was kind of skeptical about it,” he said. “I wasn’t sure how the season would go. Now, with one game left and a bowl game, I’m happy to have made a contribution.”
Potter’s two blocked kicks match the number of piercings in his left ear. He’s had them since seventh grade.
“My dad always says it’s better than tattoos,” he said.
So, no tattoos?
“Not yet,” he said, smiling.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
In high school, Zach Potter used special teams as a break from duties at tight end and defensive end.
At Nebraska, Potter is using special teams to make his mark.
The 6-foot-7, 270-pound Potter, a true freshman from Omaha Creighton Prep, has been credited with two blocked kicks this season, which is two more than he anticipated when the Huskers began preseason drills in August.
“Coming in, everyone thought I was going to redshirt, and I thought I was going to redshirt,” Potter said. “Once I found out I was going to be playing and traveling, I decided I’d just try to make the most of it.”
Potter, a reserve defensive end, recorded one of the two blocked field goals that helped Nebraska escape with a 7-6 win against Pittsburgh on Sept. 17. In NU’s Nov. 12 win against Kansas State, Potter blocked a first-quarter extra-point attempt and had a hand in a blocked field goal in the third quarter that was officially credited to fellow freshman Barry Turner. The blocks helped the Huskers prevail 27-25.
“If I don’t do anything the rest of my career here — and hopefully I’ll do some stuff — people will remember me as a field-goal blocker,” Potter said.
The 6-3, 250-pound Turner, a backup defensive end from Antioch, Tenn., also blocked a field goal Oct. 29 against Oklahoma.
There is no secret to their success, Potter said.
“It’s just a matter of getting your hands up,” he said. “Barry and I get in position at the right time and get our hands up. A lot of it is watching film of the kicker to see where he kicks it. A lot of kickers kick it low.”
Not Colorado’s Mason Crosby. The junior from Georgetown, Texas, is 19-for-24 on field goals and has the longest field goal of the season in Division I-A, a 58-yard boot in a 23-3 loss to Miami in September.
“He gets it up pretty high,” Potter said. “We have to make sure we get an extra push on the guys in front of us.”
Potter said he typically uses senior lineman Le Kevin Smith to help him elevate, while Turner uses either Ola Dagunduro or Titus Adams.
“We push them into the line of scrimmage, jump and try to get as high as we can and get a piece of the ball,” Potter said.
He said they push the limits of the rule that forbids using linemen to gain height.
“We’re not supposed to use them to jump higher, but it happens so quick that the refs don’t usually see it,” Potter said.
All told, Nebraska (6-4, 3-4 Big 12) has blocked seven kicks this season, including five field goals (the school record for total blocks is 10 in 1999). In addition to Potter and Turner, senior linebacker Adam Ickes has blocked two field-goal attempts, and senior safety Daniel Bullocks has blocked a punt.
While Turner also has made a mark this season as an explosive pass-rusher — he ranks third on the team with six sacks — Potter has played sparingly on regular downs. Nevertheless, he feels OK about burning his redshirt.
“At first, I was kind of skeptical about it,” he said. “I wasn’t sure how the season would go. Now, with one game left and a bowl game, I’m happy to have made a contribution.”
Potter’s two blocked kicks match the number of piercings in his left ear. He’s had them since seventh grade.
“My dad always says it’s better than tattoos,” he said.
So, no tattoos?
“Not yet,” he said, smiling.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
