So Brian Griese just predicted we'd go 11-1 with a loss to Nebraska. We'd then avenge that loss in the CCG and go to the BCS champ game. Fair enough. His reasoning as to why we lose to Nebraska? The kicking game. Also a fair point. Let me count the ways. #1. Look at all the close games we've played in the last 5 years where a fg was THE difference or helped us put games away. In 2005 ...Against Ohio State... 25-22. Against aggy. 40-29... without the fg's late, we likely can't drain the clock. Against USC - . Vy's monumental 4th down TD with 19 seconds left MIGHT have been a game tying TD if not for the 46 yard fg made earlier in the game. That's just 2005 my friends. 2006 we sneak by Nebraska and Iowa thanks to some Fg's. 2007 we have a game winner against Okie Lite and edge Nebraska again by a fg. 2008 the Ohio state was decided by a fg margin. 2009 Oklahoma decided by a fg... and then Nebraska AGAIN. Clearly without a solid kicking game, we'd have lost at least 2 other Nebraska games. Incredible. So its obvious that a solid kicking game is key. #2. We just lost one of the best kickers in UT history! Lawrence was 24-27 on FG's last season. In 2008 he was 10-12. In 07 Bailey was 18-22 and in 06 he was 6-6. We have been extremely spoiled by our kicker production #3. Lawrence will be replaced by a freshman placekicker. Will Russ is a highly touted recruit. Heck, we even gave him a scholarship. But can he be expected...as a freshman... to make the type of clutch kicks Lawrence made? Would we have played 'Bama if Russ was kicking for us last year?? Odds are not in our favor. #4. We just lost Sherrod Harris. What does that have to do with anything??? He was our placeholder. We are scrambling to find a replacement. Think of how awesome shipley was at this last year. Sherrod had been getting all the reps and now the scrambling commences. Can Russ and the new placeholder develop the necessary chemistry in time to be a viable weapon? Let's hope with 1 second left we don't have to count on our kickers. We MAY be in trouble. Hopefully it won't come down to that... but Griese could be right. If it does, we can be in trouble.
Without a doubt this is the offseason, some blow hard says we are going to lose a game two months from now because of the kicking game and then someone defends that statement with a slew of close games over the past 5 years. On top of that, I read it and posted on it......someone help me quick, it is only what 17 days and about 20 hours until kickoff!!!!!!
Bottom line is that this year... on paper... will be the worst fg kicking team we've had in 5+ years. Shipley was the holder last year... but his backup was Harris. Harris had been getting all the practice/looks as the holder. Now we have to get him replaced, stat.
I don't think that Will Russ spent too much time with Sherrod Harris, I don't think Russ enrolled early,I could be wrong with that, I am just guessing. Why am I still posting on this thread.......aahahahhahaha running down the street with no clothes on..............heading to KFC!!!!!!
This is encouraging news... According to Gerry Hamilton, Will Russ... "But he already has arguably the strongest leg on campus without the training time in the program as others"
The holder & kicker will get to practice several extra points and maybe one FG versus Rice. That should help.
I don't get the "on paper" part. What do we have to indicate this? We've replaced kickers before and since Mack has been here, they've always been successful replacements. I think at some point you have to take some confidence in the special teams and their track record. Frankly I don't think Mack gets the credit for the job he does every year with the kicking game (with the exception of kickoff returns and punting, which have been at times inconsistent.)
by 'on paper' i mean we're relying on someone new. We'll have a new holder AND a new kicker. Whether its russ or tucker we'll have 0 experience in live action with both positions. That will hurt. We will NOT have a repeat performance of 24-27 fg's. Will we still be good... probably. But let's hope its not in key spots.
2009 - 24-27 (Lawrence) 2008 - 11-14 (Lawrence) 2007 - 18-22 (Bailey) 2006 - 9-12 (Johnson 3-6, Bailey 6-6) 2005 - 14-18 (Pino) 2004 - 12-17 (Mangum 11-15) 2003 - 10-12 (Mangum) 2002 - 16-26 (Mangum) 2001 - 16-23 (Mangum) 2000 - 22-26 (Stockton) I like our chances. In 10 years we've had two kickers that have had some struggles - one didn't finish out the year as a starter and his backup went 6 for 6, and the second one ended up being the guy who beat Michigan on the last-second FG. Three times since 2000 has a Mack Brown team missed more than four FGs in a season. (All three the same kicker.) Think about that for a bit! Will it be an adjustment? Sure, probably. But I don't get the doom and gloom. The good thing about early games is that you find out whether your kicker can hit in games, and if he doesn't, you pull him. I think we'll be just fine. But if we have to go 24-27 again this year, I don't like our chances anyway.
