[Husker] UT-NU Observations from the Press Box

[Steve Reichenbach]

Posts putting the length of the possible FG attempt at 58 yds is
consistent with the drive chart, which puts the ball inside the
41.  Maybe you are wrong :-).

There are MANY HS kickers who can kick it over 50 yds.  It is not
at all misleading.  With so many kids playing soccer now, it is
COMMON to have kids who kick the ball a long ways.  Here's a link
from last year about a Nebraska kid:
http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=131&p=2&c=450644
He had a long of 53 and his coach said he could kick them longer
than 60.

I looked closer at NU's roster and see they have a kicker from
North Platte, Jordan Alegria, who kicked a Shrine Bowl record
52 yarder.

These are non-scholarship kids.  If it is so remarkable that they
can kick that far, then why aren't they sought after?  The answer
is that they aren't so sought after because it isn't that remarkable
anymore for HS kickers able to kick long FGs in excess of 50yds.

My complaint is less about this one kick --- I only wondered if
the odds of the long FG were better than a Hail Mary pass --- it
is that it has been clear for quite awhile that Congdon isn't
able to kick off consistently into the end zone or kick even
moderately long FGs, but it appears that it has just been left
that way --- dealing with kickoff returns and passing up all but
short FGs.  Texas tried their backup kicker and he won the game. 
NU might have done the same.

My other complaint about special teams is that NU has been letting
punts bounce game after game after game.  It isn't complaining to
be complaining --- with better special teams play, NU well might
have won the game.  Honestly, don't these special teams problems,
which have been ongoing, frustrate you?


> 
> Steve,
> 
> I could have sworn from my seat that it was just inside the 45, which
> would be a 62-yard attempt but I could be wrong. Either way it is a kick
> that is way outside of our guy's range, even with the wind - which while
> at his back was also swirling pretty heavily. Anyone catch how the
> balloons swirled around field level after the first touchdown?  
> 
> My job takes me to a lot of college and NFL games and a fair amount of
> HS games too and to imply that there are all kinds of HS kickers who can
> routinely make 50+ yard field goals or that there are random kids
> walking the campus in Lincoln right now that could make them also might
> be a little misleading and probably a lot absurd. 
> 
> Consider that in the NFL, home to arguably the sport's best kickers,
> through Week 7 only 13 of the 30 leading FG kickers in the NFL have a
> long field goal make in excess of 50 yards and that NONE has a FG make
> like the 58 yd FG people are suggesting that we should have tried. In
> fact only 1 kicker in the NFL period (who is not in the top 30 in FG
> makes) has a make of 58 yards +, and that is Matt Bryant of Tampa Bay
> (who kicked a 62-yarder to win the game on Sunday). Further, through
> Week 7 in the NFL, 11 teams or nearly 1/3 of the league, haven't even
> attempted a FG in excess of 50 yards and amongst teams that have
> attempted at least one the results are 19 makes against 44 misses - a
> conversion percentage of only 43%. Of those teams, 6 or nearly 20% of
> the league have made 0% or none of their 50+ yd attempts. 
> 
> So do the special teams need help - absolutely. But, could any kicker on
> the roster, your average HS kicker, some mystery student walking the
> campus or even your average NFL kicker likely have made a FG of 50+
> yards - nevertheless one from 58 yards with a swirling wind - PROBABLY
> NOT!!!! 
> 
> The hail mary was without question our best option to score and to
> suggest otherwise is just an excuse to criticize the coaching staff - at
> least in my humble opinion. If you throw the hail mary you have the
> chance for an additional penalty (which would have definitely moved the
> ball into FG range) or a tip and a catch for the win. Lining up for a FG
> lets us all watch the ball flutter through the air and land at the 5 -
> not even close to a make and with no real chance for anything else to
> happen that could extend or win the game. 
> 
> Jeff
>