COLLEGE GRID NOTES
How does this happen? How do three of the elite college programs in the nation fail to have a reliable field-goal kicker?
We’re not talking about someone who can knock down 45-yarders on a consistent basis. But you would think programs such as Florida, Michigan, and Oklahoma would have kicking games that don’t cost them games.
In Florida’s 17-14 loss to Ole Miss, Gators kicker Matt Leach had a 35-yarder blocked. Late in the fourth quarter, the Gators had a choice of letting Leach try a 48-yarder to tie the game or go for the first down.
Florida coach Ron Zook knew he didn’t really have a choice. The Gators went for the first down and Rex Grossman was sacked.
Oklahoma had to depend on a fake field goal that resulted in a touchdown to defeat Missouri, 31-24. The Sooners couldn’t count on kicker Trey DiCarlo, who had missed an extra point and field-goal attempts of 34 and 43 yards.
So when Oklahoma, trailing 24-23, lined up for a 31-yard field goal, coach Bob Stoops opted to go with the fake. Don’t be surprised if the kicking game costs the Sooners in Saturday’s Big 12 showdown against Texas.
Michigan’s tenuous kicking tandem of Philip Brabbs (3 of 9) and Troy Nienberg (1 of 3) is 4 of 12 on field-goal attempts and already has cost it a game. In the Wolverines’ 25-23 loss at Notre Dame, Nienberg had a 32-yarder blocked.
Two Big East teams – Boston College and Pittsburgh – have a chance to take a big step this week and special teams could be the difference. The Eagles play host to undefeated Virginia Tech tomorrow night. Tech’s Carter Warley is 5 of 8 on field-goal attempts.
Pittsburgh plays at Notre Dame Saturday. Notre Dame’s Nick Setta is 8 of 16 on field-goal attempts this season – five of his eight misses are from 40 yards or longer.
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HEISMAN WATCH: 1. Ken Dorsey, QB, Miami, is 31-1 as a starter. 2. Charles Rogers, WR, Michigan State, has set an NCAA record by catching a TD pass in 13 straight games. 3. Philip Rivers, QB, N.C. State, has completed 65 percent of his passes (72 of 110) including 9 TDs and 3 INTs. His QB rating is 182.8.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Missouri redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Smith ran for 213 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns and threw for 178 yards and a touchdown in a 31-24 loss to Oklahoma.
TEAMS OF THE WEEK: The Cal Bears snapped a 19-game skid to Washington by beating the Huskies on their home field, 34-27. FYI: The loss snapped the Huskies’ 17-game home win streak.
Baylor snapped a 29-game Big 12 losing streak with a 35-32 win over Kansas on a 33-yard field goal with one second left. FYI: The nation’s longest conference losing streak now belongs to Duke, which Saturday lost its 17th straight ACC game, 27-22 to Virginia.
