Coach Randy Walker has stood squarely behind kicker Brian Huffman beginning with the season opener when Huffman missed five of six field-goal attempts in an overtime loss at Texas Christian.
Walker’s one move was to have Joel Howells handle kickoffs, with punts and field goals still with Huffman. He has made six of his last eight attempts.
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Walker compared placekickers to golfers, whom he considers to be some of the most mentally tough athletes in the world but who play in perfect conditions: tee a ball up where they want it and drive the ball toward a 50-yard wide fairway.
“Our kicker walks out there and he’s got a guy snapping who has to hit a target, a [holder] who has to put it on a spot and he has to do it in 1.3 [seconds],” Walker said by way of comparison.
“I’m always nervous about that. It’s a tough deal. [The kicker] has put a whole lot of trust in two guys to put the ball in the right place and then he has to hit an upright that’s pretty darn tight.
“Brian has, other than Game 1, had a pretty good year.”
– Next: Oct. 23 at Wisconsin, 11 a.m., ESPN