Thursday, March 28, 2024

Williams says kicking situation should be remedied by Saturday

October 9, 2001

The legs of MSU’s kickers have been working harder than a Las Vegas chorus line.

And for good reason - the position is wide open after three field goals and two extra points missed the mark in the Spartans’ 27-26 loss at Northwestern on Sept. 29.

Senior David Schaefer - who missed all three field goals and an extra point in the loss - could be replaced by either sophomore Michael Servis or freshman Dave Rayner for Saturday’s Homecoming game against Iowa.

“We still have the competition open and we have it down to three guys,” head coach Bobby Williams said, who listed Schaefer and Rayner as his top contenders on the weekly depth chart.

But a decision might not be made until Saturday’s 12:10 p.m. kickoff.

In the first three games, Schaefer has connected on 1-of-5 field goal attempts and 9-of-10 extra points.

Special teams coordinator Sal Sunseri said Schaefer’s three missed field goals against the Wildcats were due to poor fundamentals.

His miss late in the fourth quarter was because of mistakes in his kicking stance, Sunseri said.

“At that point in time the wind was behind him,” Sunseri said. “All he had to do was take his hips toward the target and he didn’t take his hips to the target. That’s why he missed. His hips over-rotated and he ended up outside the post.”

Servis has attempted only one extra point - which he missed against Northwestern - and Rayner has yet to receive playing time.

“I worked on a lot of mechanics, and I’ve sat down with Coach Sunseri reviewing a lot of tapes,” he said. “I’m not sure who’s going to kick Saturday, but obviously I’m happy to get this kind of opportunity for the job.”

Sunseri said it’s important that each kicker improves their consistency and mental approach.

“Kicking is just like swinging a golf club,” Sunseri said. “If you hit 100 balls a day than what you’re basically doing is getting into that rhythm. And they just have to get into that rhythm and get their confidence back.”

Schaefer may be dealing with the biggest dip in confidence

“There’s nothing I can really do to forget about that,” he said. “But I think that the competition brings out not only the best in me, but in all of us.”

Sunseri said he wants to help Schaefer improve throughout the course of the season, even if he loses his starting position.

But in the end, the most consistent man will get the kicking duties, he said.

“If we had a walk-on on this team that could help put the football through the uprights we would use him,” Sunseri said.

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