Boise State Football: Focus on the Kicking Game

Twenty-six yards, middle of the field…a chip shot. In golf, it would be a pitching wedge from the fringe of the putting green. In baseball, it would be a bunt to squeeze home the winning run. In hockey, a shot from the face-off circle into an empty net. It should be automatic. Just like kicking an extra point should be relatively automatic.

It hasn't been for Boise State.

A kicker has one job to do on the team, and for those trained, it should be easy. See the ball; kick the ball. But kicking has many components that all have to fit neatly together for a successful finish. Much of it relies on other players, from the center to the placeholder, to the line giving enough time to put a foot into the ball. An intangible is the kicker himself.

It may be one job, but it is an intensely stressful one. Get into the head of a kicker, give him doubts, and the nightmare is just beginning.

During his career at BSU, Kyle Brotzman nailed 118 straight extra-point attempts. He was closing in on the all-time record when he missed one. That was the beginning of a series of big misses for the placekicker.

In 2010, against Nevada, he missed a 26-yard field goal at the end of regulation that could have won the game. In overtime, he missed a 29-yard field goal that not only allowed Nevada to win the game with a made field goal, but spoiled BSU's bid for a perfect season and dropped them from the BCS bowl conversation.

In November of 2011, on the blue at BSU, Bronco kicker Dan Goodale missed a 39-yard field goal from the middle of the field as time expired, allowing TCU to topple Kellen Moore and the Broncos, 36-35. It was another agonizing moment for Bronco fans.

But that one missed kick seemed to be indicative of the Broncos kicking game. In the 2011 season, the Broncos were 71 of 79 in extra-point attempts (90 percent) and 6-9 in field-goal attempts. While the Broncos did not punt the ball often, the net average was only 37.8 yards per punt.

Boise State has to bring that kicking game up to the quality of the rest of the team. That burden lays squarely on the shoulders of those players tasked with putting foot to ball.

Who will Boise State be looking at in the 2012 campaign. Here are the players to watch…

Trevor Harmon

Trevor Harmon started off punting for the Broncos, and in 2010, he had an average of 44.7 yards per punt with a long of 63 yards. He was a kickoff specialist in 2011, averaging 65 yards per kick with 17 touchbacks. He has the leg, but in the spring game he had a few punts shank off the side of his foot for less-than-desirable results.

Harmon will have to get things sorted out if he hopes to secure a starting spot in the Bronco kicking game.

Sean Wale

An incoming freshman out of La Habra, CA., Sean Wale has some impressive credentials. He has attended the invite-only Chris Sailer Kicking Top 12 numerous times and was 9-12 in fields his senior year with his longest successful field goal going 52 yards. He also averaged 47.5 yards per punt.

He has the potential to be the Bronco kicker of the future. With four other kickers on the team, though, Wale might see a red-shirt season.

Michael Frisina

Michael Frisina has one year under his belt in the Bronco blue and orange after transferring from Saddleback Junior College. In 2011, as the Broncos tried to find some consistency in their kicking game, Frisina was 3-4 on field goals with a long of 30 yards. He was 21-23 on PATs while going 8-8 against Arizona State in the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl. In his sophomore year at Saddleback, Frisina was 11-18 in field goal tries.

Accuracy and distance might be a hurdle he has to overcome.

Jake Van Ginkel

Jake Van Ginkel red-shirted in 2011 after a stellar career at Upland High School in California. As a high school player, Van Ginkel set the state record for field goals and earned a wide range of accolades, including being named to the 2009 ESPN Junior All-American Team. Most interesting about his high-school stats is that as a freshman, he nailed three field goals of more than 50 yards.

This could be the one to watch in 2012.

Dan Goodale

Dan Goodale knows full well the agony of having the game on his foot and pushing the winning field goal wide. That's what happened in BSU's only loss in 2011. Goodale had a 39-yard attempt with two ticks left on the clock and missed wide right, allowing TCU to escape the blue turf at BSU with a 36-35 win.

In 2011, he was 3-5 on field goals and 50-56 in PATs. Goodale was listed as BSU's primary kicker in 2011, but he will have to step up his game to get as much playing time in 2012.