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Kicking game for Boise State needs some ‘ironing out’
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Special teams at Boise State are just that. Special.
In 2004, Boise State ranked in the top three in the Western Athletic Conference in every special teams category. One of the factors was Tyler Jones. The Lou Groza Award finalists put together one of the finest kicking seasons in college football last season. So, now that Jones is in camp vying for a spot on the Cleveland Browns roster, it’s up to two juniors to pick up where Jones left off.
Second-team All-WAC punter Kyle Stringer and junior college transfer Anthony Montgomery are both up for the job to replace Jones, but it’s not about doing what Jones did last season.
“Tyler Jones is kicking in the NFL, so I’m not going to tell you that they both are going to be better than he, but they will be comparable to what we are used to,” Boise State special teams coach Kent Riddle said.
Stringer came to Boise State in 2003 as a kicker. Now after two years, he is ready to find that technique again.
Montgomery played the last two seasons at Reedley Junior College in California. He completed 15 of 20 field goals as a sophomore.
In the first scrimmage in fall camp, there was some concern for the kicking game. Both kickers were inconsistent, but Friday night’s scrimmage looked much better.
“They are just ironing out some of the techniques. They need more repetitions and more kicks,” Riddle said.
Kicking a field goal is more than just the kickers. The holder and long snapper need to all be on the same page.
“As soon as we get the holder and snapper protection and all that figured out, I think the kicking is going to follow that, and it’s improved a whole lot since we first got [to fall camp],” Stringer said.
Last season, the combination of Jones, Klayton Adams (long snapper), and Mike Sanford (holder) coined themselves “gravy train.”
As of right now, junior defensive end Mike Dominguez is the long snapper, and sophomore Britt Hall is the holder for both Stringer and Montgomery.
Riddle also knows what time can do for the players between now and the Sept. 3 opener in Georgia.
“We are rotating new snappers in and new holders and those guys have had just [two weeks] to work together, so it’s not good enough — but somewhat predictable,” Riddle said.
Nerves may have also played a part in the inconsistency for Montgomery.
“I just need to calm down and start putting them through. I think I was just a little too excited and got into the hype. I just need to slow down and start putting them through,” Montgomery said.
Riddle sees it about the same.
“He’s coming along just fine. He’s not a high-strung guy. I think that once he gets used to his surroundings, he’s going to be just fine.”
Trevor Horn
Sports Editor
