first down
Saturday, September 24, 1977
page 2
, Fischer: Corn busker punting gameneeds a hoof
By Jim Hunt
Ask any football coach and he will say
the kicking game is important to his
football team. This is no exception at
Nebraska.
Husker kicking coach Cletus Fischer
said he is pleased for the most part with
the Huskers kicking game this season.
"We would like to see some improve
ment in our punting," Fischer said. "Other
wise our kicking game has been good this
year. There is always room for improve
ment, though'
The punting this season has been
handled by Tim Smith, a sophomore from
Chula Vista, Calif. Besides punting, Smith
is the Huskers' top split end.
Smith, currently ranks fifth in the Big
8 with a 37.7 yard average after nine punts.
"The punting game must get better,"
Fischer said., "Smith must start kicking the
ball better and he . must start getting the
ball up in the air. We have to start getting
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"We don't want to sit there and wonder
if the ball is going to dribble 37 yards."
Fischer said Smith needs to work on
punting more during the week to improve
his consistency. It is hard for Smith to get
the extra time to warm-up and practice his
punting since he spends most of his time
with the first team offense, Fischer said.
"Our punt coverage has been fairly
good," Fischer said. "We haven't had real
good hang time to see what they can do.
Last year Randy (Lessman) got real good
hang time and had minus return yardage."
v On the other hand, Fischer said place
kicker Billy Todd has been doing an excel
lent job for the Huskers this season,
"Billy has a chance to be as fine a kicker
as there is around," Fischer said "He has
excellent range and I don't think we would
hesitate to try a 50 or 55-yard field goal."
Todd, a junior from Chandler, Ariz.,
transferred" to Nebraska , from Arizona
Mesa Junior College in January.
At Mesa, Todd kicked eight field goals
and 28 extra points. This season he has
connected on two of three field goal at-T
tempts. He has hit field goals of 20 and 29
yards and missed an attempted field goal of
48 yards,
Todd said one of the reasons he came to
Nebraska was. that he had a chance to start.
Both Husker, punter Randy Lessman and
kicker Al Eveland graduated last year.
"They (Nebraska), lost both of their .
kickers and they really didn't have a back
up," Todd said. "I thought I had a chance
to play every day."
Another reason Todd came to Nebraska
is the winning tradition. Mesa Junior Col
lege has a reputation as a winner in the
junior college ranks and that is important
to Todd, he said.'
Todd said two of the biggest differences
between playing football in Arizona and
playing football in Nebraska is the wind
and the length of time a kicker has to kick
the ball.
"There is no wind to speak of in
Arizona," Todd waid. "I've been pleased
with my kicking for the most part, but I
wouldn't really say I am doing quite my
best.
"I still have to work on getting my kick
offs deeper when I'm kicking into the
wind. Sometimes I try kicking too hard
and the ball has kind of a knuckle-ball
effect.
"I also have to get the ball off a lot
quicker I have to get a field goal off in
about 1 .2 (seconds) and a punt off in
about 2 or 2.1 (seconds) because the de
fenses are a lot better in major college."
Even though Todd averaged 40.2 yards
a punt at Mesa he has yet to punt for the
Huskers this season; Todd blames it on a
poor spring.
"I didn't punt that well in spring drills,"
Todd said. "I had to adjust to the wind and
you can only work on it so much.
"I'm starting to get my timing back
now, but Tim has been doing a pretty good
job."
Todd said for a kicker to be successful
he must work on his kicking every day. It
is comparable to a relief pitcher having to
throw a baseball every day, he said.
"I usually come out 45 minutes to an
hour before practice starts and begin
loosening up," Todd, said, "I start off by
kicking short then kick harderas practice
goes along. ' .
"We (the kickers) usually only work for
about 15 minutes during specialty periods
with the quarterbacks and another 10
minutes during team kicking drills."
Todd, a left-footed kicker, said the
kickers receive some criticism from the
other players because they do not have to
do a lot of the running and contact the
others players do.
Special Editors: Dennis Onnen
and Pete Wegman, Advertising Man
ager: Gregg Wurdeman. Assistant Ad
vertising Manager; Mark Matousek.
Editor-in-chief: Rex Seline, Business
Manager: Jerri Haussler. Production
Manager; Kitty Policky.
First Down is a publication of the
Daily Mebraykan. Both are written,
edited and managed by students at
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
Thay are editorially independent of
the university faculty, administration
and students.
First Down is published by the
UNL Publications Committee on
home game Saturdays.
Address: First Down, Nebraska
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