Iowa State football: Reviewing field goal history and what must improve
By Brian Spaen
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a post from Carmon Wilson, an Iowa State women’s basketball reporter. His work has been featured at AllCyclones.com and we are excited to announce that he will be a contributor to Clones Confidential. Follow him on Twitter.
A kicker on a football team is very important, but the position is anything but a clear science. A good kicker can provide points for a stalling offense and can be the deciding factor in the final outcome of the game. For many teams, the difference between field position, momentum, and winning and losing is all dependent upon a poetic swing of the leg.
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Jack Trice Stadium can be a very difficult place for kickers to place the ball between the uprights due to the wind tunnel swirling on the field. During head coach Paul Rhoads’ tenure in Ames, Iowa State’s kickers are successful in scoring for their team only 61 percent (58/95) of the time. And that number actually decreases at home to 58.8 percent (30/51).
During that same five-year span, opponents are making 74 percent (42/57) of their field goal attempts. Home field advantage is going to the opposing team.
Last season, the Cyclones did a much better job of kicking having made 80% of their field goal attempts at home last year (8/10). But that number dwindled to 50% (5/10) on the road. In a game where strong teams are able to win on the road, that percentage has to increase in 2014.
During the spring, the Iowa State Daily mentioned that Netten was making progress in the spring and impressing Rhoads with his leg strength. So much so that they tested his leg in practice and he connected on a 56 yard field goal in practice.
Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register had an article from August 21st in which Netten explained that he had hit the weight room this summer and worked on his technique. It must be working as it was reported that he hit a 54 yard field goal in practice earlier this fall.