By The Numbers: Is Boston College Kicking Situation As Bad As It Looks?

The Boston College kicking game has been much maligned so far in the 2014 season. While it has not been good, has it been the worst?

The Current Boston College Kicking Situation

Launceford: 10-for-12 on extra points; 3-for-3 on field goals (all inside 30 yards; season long 28)

Howell: 6-for-6 on extra points; 3-for-7 on field goals (makes: 44, 40, 34; misses: 44, 46, 47, 40)

The good news is with the above that at least Howell is not missing chip shots, but kicks that should still be within his range given his season-long of 44. The issue with his field goal attempts has not been a lack of leg, rather a lack of accuracy.

That has been the case with Launceford on extra points, given that he has missed two, but has made all three of his inside-30 field goal attempts.

This adds up to the Eagles going 16-for-18 on PATs (88.9%) and 6-for-10 on field goal attempts (60%). Boston College is making everything inside 30 yards, but missing two-thirds above 39.

Boston College Kicking Performances: Last Decade

2013
Nate Freese was 40-for-41 on PATs (97.6%) and 20-for-20 on field goals (100%), going 6-for-6 40 yards and up (including two in the 50s).

2012
Freese was 24-for-24 on extra points (100%) and 18-for-20 on field goals (90%). He went 2-for-4 over 39 yards.

2011
Freese went 26-for-27 on PATs (96.3%) but just 10-for-16 on field goals (62.5%), though going 5-for-7 40 yards and up.

2010
Freese was 24-for-25 on PATs (96%) and 22-for-25 on field goals (88%). He was 1-for-3 over 39 yards.

2009
Steve Aponavicius posted a 38-for-39 mark on PATs (97.4%) and 13-for-14 on field goals (92.9%). Greg Abilheira made his only PAT attempt. Boston College’s season long was 42 yards.

2008
Aponavicius was 41-for-41 on extra points (100%) while making just 14 of 21 field goals (66.7%). Again, Abilheira made his only PAT try. Boston College never attempted a field goal of longer than 39 yards.

2007
Aponavicius missed four PATs, going 46-for-50 (92%), also making just 12 of 18 field goals (66.7%). He made two of three 40 yards and up.

2006
Ryan Ohliger was 11-for-14 on extra points (78.6%) and 7-for-11 on field goals (63.6%) before Aponavicius replaced him; he went 24-for-25 on PATs (96%) and 8-for-11 on field goals (72.7%). The Eagles were 1-for-6 over 39 yards.

2005
Ohliger hit 19 of 20 PATs (95%) and 9 of 14 field goals (64.3%). William Troost went 18-for-19 on extra points (94.7%) and 2-for-4 on field goals (50%). The team season long field goal was 39 yards.

2004
Ohliger was 31-for-34 on PATs (91.2%) and 13-for-19 on field goals (68.4%). Mike McCarthy made his only PAT and field goal tries, respectively. Eagles went 4-for-5 40 and up.

Boston College Kicking: Realistic Perspective

The Boston College kicking game so far this season is not good, and the kickers would probably be the first to admit that. Yet, when looking back at some of the years past Eagles kickers have had, it is not that much worse than some of what we have seen in the last decade.

Nate Freese was somewhat of an anomaly for Boston College, having three very good years out of four while Steve Aponavicius, who walked on and unseated Ohliger mid-season, only had one near-perfect year himself. Prior to Freese, it was common for the team to make less than 75% of their field goals, but most of those teams scored plenty of touchdowns.

These current kickers know they have to be better, and the situation seems intolerable, but historically speaking, Boston College’s lot is not yet epically bad.

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