BREAKING NEWS! Stoops makes an announcement about the starting kicker!

[hotshot13422]

"Stoops: Hunnicutt "has earned that spot" to keep kicking. Leaves door open for Stevens, ever so slightly. Hunnicutt been better in practice"

OU is easily going to win the national championship now!!

But seriously, wasn't really expecting for Hunnicutt to be the new kicker, poor jimmy :(

[sooner518]

Earth shattering news. Bt good news in my book

[limey_sooner]

stoops won't say it, but the missouri face palm moment seems to have been the end of Stevens.

[Tear Down This Wall]

So, missing from 30 yards out get you the starting job here now?

How about we recruit a kicker who doesn't miss inside of 40 and is consistent between 40 and 50?

[yermom]

i don't think Jimmy even sniffed it from 40+

Hunnicutt sealed it with two on Saturday, even if one did doink off the upright in the process of going in

i was rooting for Jimmy, but i guess it wasn't to be.

i think all of our kickers were able to kick like that before getting here. i have no idea what happens after that.

[BoulderSooner79]

stoops won't say it, but the missouri face palm moment seems to have been the end of Stevens.

That was actually FSU, but you're correct. When I saw that replay of Stoops, I assumed Jimmy would ride the pine from now on. The way Jimmy did a faceguard-palm after the kick, I could tell he knew it too.

[Fraggle145]

What pisses me off about the kicking situation is that we dont have a kicker that can put it in the endzone on kickoffs consistently. FSU's kicker put it in the endzone on almost every kickoff. I was at the Ole Miss/UGA game last week and every kick off for both teams was in the endzone. EVERY. ONE.

[BoulderSooner79]

So, missing from 30 yards out get you the starting job here now?

How about we recruit a kicker who doesn't miss inside of 40 and is consistent between 40 and 50?

All kickers miss, your first requirement is impossible. 40-50 is a big range, so I must assume you mean just good relative to what is possible. Many kickers are very high percentage at 40, but almost none at 50. 50 yards stats can also be extremely skewed because most teams don't try that many. I've seen kickers have 100% from 50 and you find out they have kicked 3 times from there - then they miss the next 3... The pros seem to use 45 as a litmus test.

[BoulderSooner79]

What pisses me off about the kicking situation is that we dont have a kicker that can put it in the endzone on kickoffs consistently. FSU's kicker put it in the endzone on almost every kickoff. I was at the Ole Miss/UGA game last week and every kick off for both teams was in the endzone. EVERY. ONE.

Our coverage has been very good this year. Bad things can happen on returns to the returners such as fumbles and block-in-the-back penalties that pin them deep. So a touchback isn't always the ideal outcome. But I'd certainly like to be able to get a touchback when desired such as agasinst a dangerous return guy or when we have a big lead. But it's hard to complain about kickoff coverage so far.

[cleller]

Someone could end up with Boomer or Sooner's head in their bed over this.

[pphilfran]

What pisses me off about the kicking situation is that we dont have a kicker that can put it in the endzone on kickoffs consistently. FSU's kicker put it in the endzone on almost every kickoff. I was at the Ole Miss/UGA game last week and every kick off for both teams was in the endzone. EVERY. ONE.

On the year Georgia has 13 touchbacks on 32 kickoffs...Miss is 7 of 22...OU is 6 of 32...

Looking at the Georgia/Old Miss game stats there were 5 kickoff returns for a total of 88 yards....

[pphilfran]

All kickers miss, your first requirement is impossible. 40-50 is a big range, so I must assume you mean just good relative to what is possible. Many kickers are very high percentage at 40, but almost none at 50. 50 yards stats can also be extremely skewed because most teams don't try that many. I've seen kickers have 100% from 50 and you find out they have kicked 3 times from there - then they miss the next 3... The pros seem to use 45 as a litmus test.

So far this year the NFL has attempted a total of 31 kicks 50 or longer...they hit on 19...

[pphilfran]

There are 120 teams in the FBS...4 schools kick 50% or more of kickoffs as touchbacks...

FSU 14/28
Auburn 18/30
Okie State 22/35
Utep 13/26

It ain't as easy as you all think...

[Fraggle145]

On the year Georgia has 13 touchbacks on 32 kickoffs...Miss is 7 of 22...OU is 6 of 32...

Looking at the Georgia/Old Miss game stats there were 5 kickoff returns for a total of 88 yards....

If I remember right most of those were taken out of the end zone. Regardless 6/32 sucks (19%). What are the stats for FSU? We kickoff a lot so that is a very dangerous play for us. We need someone who can get the job done.

[Lawton4Life]

FSU's kicker is also like 6 5 that helps too!!

[OhU1]

Agree with Fraggle, the continuing inability to put a kick into the end zone is baffling. Also I've never seen a high caliber team on the level of OU give up so many kick off returns for touchdowns before. We all know the struggles with field goals. I think Stoops does a great job but special teams has severely lagged over the last several years.

[BoulderSooner79]

Agree with Fraggle, the continuing inability to put a kick into the end zone is baffling. Also I've never seen a high caliber team on the level of OU give up so many kick off returns for touchdowns before. We all know the struggles with field goals. I think Stoops does a great job but special teams has severely lagged over the last several years.

Coverage has been good this year so far.

[meoveryouxinfinity]

The kickoffs have only gotten better. After the FSU game I said that O'Hara was the unsung hero. He was CLUTCH down the stretch kicking off.

[pac10SUX]

Here is the son of a friend of mine we may want to look at http://jacejohnson.info/ who kicks through the end zone consistently. He already has D1 full scholly offeres but hasn't decided.

[pphilfran]

If I remember right most of those were taken out of the end zone. Regardless 6/32 sucks (19%). What are the stats for FSU? We kickoff a lot so that is a very dangerous play for us. We need someone who can get the job done.

6 of 32 is about average...out of the 120 teams 44 teams are under 10%...you can add up all the teams if you like...

You expectations are much too high..

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2011&rpt=IA_teamkoreturndef&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

[King Barry's Back]

stoops won't say it, but the missouri face palm moment seems to have been the end of Stevens.

This. That's what I thought when I saw it live, and I haven't seen one thing to make me think I was wrong.

[BoulderSooner79]

6 of 32 is about average...out of the 120 teams 44 teams are under 10%...you can add up all the teams if you like...

You expectations are much too high..

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2011&rpt=IA_teamkoreturndef&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

Oh stop it. Kicking deep into the endzone to force touchbacks is easy. 100% makes on 40 yard FGs is easy. Stop throwing the dam facts in our faces.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Boy...was I ever wrong about Stoops' judgment here, expecting him to find a kicker that would be perfect from within 40 yards. Impossible. No college has one of those. It's not even possible to have a kicker who can get them from within 30! Obviously. I set the bar way to high for kickers. Thank goodness we have a coaching staff who will coddle them along when they miss from 30 and in.

Well, anyone know if there are anymore kids up at Washburn kicking around the ball just for fun? Send a coach up there to scrape up another walk-on.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

If our receivers catch balls last night, then the field goals aren't even an issue. You can't place the blame on Hunnicutt.

[EatLeadCommie]

It amazes me that we haven't had a good kicker for four years now. Stoops needs to target the #1 kicker in the country and give the kid a 'ship.

[Boomer.....]

Is Stevens still on the team? What was that blurb about him not making the road trip after he lost the starting job. They didn't know where he was.

[nighttrain12]

If our receivers catch balls last night, then the field goals aren't even an issue. You can't place the blame on Hunnicutt.

Or if we make our FG's from 40 yards or less, then our receivers not catching balls aren't even an issue.

[OUNASH]

Stoops shouldnt have hired his buddy to coach on the offensive line, instead he should have hired a special teams coach. This has been an ongoing problem for the last 4-5 years.

[ruf/nekdad]

If our receivers catch balls last night, then the field goals aren't even an issue. You can't place the blame on Hunnicutt.

What he said.

[BoulderSooner79]

Blaming Hunnicutt is just plain dumb. He is a walkon freshman playing mostly because Stevens got hurt - and you think Stevens would have made them all? Would be great to have a good kicker, but that is gnat in the room compared to the elephant of getting behind 31-7 and praying we can catch up before time runs out.

[Sooner_Tuf]

I was missing Jimmy Stevens in the fourth quarter.

[AlboSooner]

Jimmy was benched not because he missed kicks, but because his kicks didn't look purrty.

[Penguin]

So, the kicker is the reason OU lost the game? Damn. I must have been watching the wrong game because that's not what I got out of it.

[agoo758]

No here is contending that our kicking game was the only reason we lost, but I will say that to be a championship team, you are occasionally going to have a bad game, and have to find a way to win. Yesterday was a bad game, yet Laundry put us in a position to win it, however, we couldnt make two chip shot field goals. So yes, if we had decent kicking, we would still be in the National Championship hunt, you could also argue that we would have won it in 2008 if our kicking wasnt so atrocious.

[Penguin]

Yeah, when they came out of halftime and Texas Tech only needed 4 plays and 1:19 to go 72 yards to go up 31-7, I was thinking "If only we had better kicking!"

[MamaMia]

We shouldn't have to settle. When you are an OU Sooner football player on that team, you should be the cream of the crop, no matter the position. We should also have enough stallions to be able to lead one out right behind another if need be and who has had some quality time on the track.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

Bottom line is you can't place the blame solely on one individual or unit.

1) Defense missed tackles.
2) Receivers dropped balls
3) Landry overthrew passes
4) Kicker missed kicks
5) Coaches got out coached
6) Players got out played
Etc. Etc.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

^

[MI Sooner]

Yeah, when they came out of halftime and Texas Tech only needed 4 plays and 1:19 to go 72 yards to go up 31-7, I was thinking "If only we had better kicking!"

Funny, at multiplepoints in the game last night, I thought, "This wouldn't as bad if their kicker missed his and we made ours.". 31-7 sucks, and 28-10 sucks less (later to be a hypothetical 9 point swing."

[TrophyCollector]

Bottom line is you can't place the blame solely on one individual or unit.

1) Defense missed tackles.
2) Receivers dropped balls
3) Landry overthrew passes
4) Kicker missed kicks
5) Coaches got out coached
6) Players got out played
Etc. Etc.
But you can still say that the kicker at OU should be able to drill 28 yarders right down the middle with ease. It shouldn't be anywhere near the post, it should be so middle that it would be good on one of those arena league rectangle box goals.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

But you can still say that the kicker at OU should be able to drill 28 yarders right down the middle with ease. It shouldn't be anywhere near the post, it should be so middle that it would be good on one of those arena league rectangle box goals.You can say that but it makes absolutely no sense to say he was the sole reason for the loss.

[gernblansten]

If anyone blames the loss on the kicker, that's foolish. Offense, defense, and special teams failed Saturday. He didn't miss tackles or drop balls, he didn't miss blocks or throw errant passes. Unfotunately for Hunnicut, he missed two FGs and we lost by 3, so it's easy to lay a lot of blame on him. I know as he trotted onto the field I thought, "okay, he chips this one in, we're down 7 with 3 minutes to play; one play from a tie game. We have a real shot to pull this thing out." That miss pretty changed our comeback chances from "need two possessions of solid football", to we need a "football miracle."

[rekamrettuB]

They should have plugged him in at DB.

[Sooner_Tuf]

Yeah, when they came out of halftime and Texas Tech only needed 4 plays and 1:19 to go 72 yards to go up 31-7, I was thinking "If only we had better kicking!"

Were you thinking it with two minutes left in the fourth quarter? Losing 41-38 when you miss two field goals certainly doesn't put it all on the kicker but it does make a rational person think we might have won had we had those six points. Yes an ugly win would have been much better than a three point loss in Norman.

[Breadburner]

All the other **** that went wrong just magnifys those misses...That being said he should have made them.......

[8timechamps]

We lost in all three phases of the game Saturday...to blame the kicker makes no sense. Unless you're Boise State.

[mainline13]

No here is contending that our kicking game was the only reason we lost, but I will say that to be a championship team, you are occasionally going to have a bad game, and have to find a way to win. Yesterday was a bad game, yet Laundry put us in a position to win it, however, we couldnt make two chip shot field goals. So yes, if we had decent kicking, we would still be in the National Championship hunt, you could also argue that we would have won it in 2008 if our kicking wasnt so atrocious.

Man, I guess nobody gets it.

When we make a FG, we then have to kick off. After they return the KO for a TD, we're 4 points further down than before the FG. So anybody who thinks missing FGs is what lost the game is just dreaming.

</sarcasm>

[papawlambert]

Haven't heard from anybody that saw the actual game films. Were all of the deep snaps good and were the holds good?
My Grandson missed his first PAT in 8 years of organized football last week. We just couldn't understand how he could miss and the coaches thought the same. The coach's game film showed the ball laying on its side when he kicked it. None of us could see this and thought he shanked it. Didn't matter as we won 51-0, but it could have.
Papaw