The kicking game has been flawless despite two freshman kickers
Fans often only notice the kicking game when it costs teams points or games. But when that aspect of the game is going as planned, we take for granted how well the special teams are playing.
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But entering 2019, Tech was far from certain what was in store in the kicking game. With two excellent kickers in Clayton Hatfield (the program’s all-time leader in field goal percentage) and Dominic Panazzolo (a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award for the nation’s top punter) both graduating, the 2019 special teams could have been a wild ride.
Fortunately, through the first quarter of the season, a pair of freshmen have solidified the kicking game as well as anyone could have hoped. Trey Wolff is a perfect 2-2 on field-goal attempts and 13-13 on extra-point kicks.
The native of Spring, TX redshirted last year and won the job over Jonathan Garibay in fall camp. A late August injury limited Garibay and tilted the scales towards Woff and he’s done nothing to loosen his grip on the placekicking job.
Meanwhile, true freshman punter Austin McNamara has been Tech’s best 2019 signee. The native of Arizona ranks No. 10 in the nation in net punting average at 46.9 yards per kick.
What’s more, seven of his 16 punts have been downed inside the 20-yard-line while only one has resulted in a touchback. The 6-foot-4 punter has the look of a man who will someday be paid to ply his craft on Sundays.
We need to look no further into the past than the 2017 season to remember what disasters in the kicking game can do to a season. That year, four kickers combined to hit just 12 of 23 field-goal tries costing Tech at least one game (Kansas State at home) and possibly another (at West Virginia).
At some point this year, the pressure will ramp up on both freshmen kickers and they will likely miss a FG or shank a punt. But through three games, the way Wolff and McNamara have performed is a surprise that no one should take for granted.