UCLA maybe a mediocre football team, but there’s nothing average about their kicking unit. Lead by special team coach, Frank Gansz, Jr., the Bruins had developed the most potent kicking team in the nation.
Everything starts with kicker Kai Forbath. The 2009 Lou Groza [Best Kicker] Award Winner and All American selection, is arguable the most consistent kicker of the past 5 years.
In 2009 he connected on 28 out of 31 Field Goal [FG] attempts, an amazing 90.3 accuracy percentage which topped the PAC-10 by a whooping five points. His longest was a 53-yarder. All 3 misses where from distances of 51 yards or more. The 6-foot-0, 207 pound senior also hit 24 out 25 extra point attempts. His only miss was due to a bad snap and placement.
Complementing Forbath is potential All American candidate, punter Jeff Locke. Just a sophomore, the 6-foot-1 Locke is already turning heads with his long drives and accuracy in placing the ball inside the 20 yard line.
More impressive than the twenty kicks he placed there is the fact that he averaged a 4.8 yard gained on each of them. That meant that the opponent started on their own 15.02 yard line every time he placed a punt inside the 20.
His 70 punts [average of 43.6 yards with a net of 38.0], second in the conference, are one of the reasons UCLA posted a 7-6 record last year, including a win over Temple in the EagleBank Bowl, instead of finishing below the .500 mark for the third straight season.
“He [Locke] is that good. His only blocked punt was a deflection. Without him, we could have easily loss two games,” UCLA Head Coach, Rick Neuheisel said. “We are lucky to have the best kicking team in the country. None is better than Kai and Jeff,” he added.
NFL draft evaluators project Forbath, the top kicker prospect entering the season, to be a high mid level selection, possible going as early as the fourth round.
By Raul Colon
rcolon@nfldraftdog.com
No comments:
Post a Comment