Nebraska kicking game in good hands

By Nathan Walters  |   Wednesday, August 23, 2006  |  Comments( 4 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
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For as long as many Nebraska fans can remember, the Cornhuskers have been able to rely on clutch kicking to keep them in games. Contrary to teams like Florida State, which constantly grumble about their questionable kicking games, Nebraska is proud of the tradition it has built around its kickers.

In fact, the tradition is so well-known that Rivals.com recently listed the Cornhuskers as the fourth best program for kickers, just behind Washington State, Michigan State, Louisiana Tech and "Kicker U," Georgia.

Kickers Kris and Josh Brown (no relation) have been the latest Nebraska kickers to excel on the professional level, as Kris kicks for the Houston Texans and Josh kicks for the defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks.

But there is a new face in Lincoln, and that face belongs to a young man who, surprisingly enough, came out of San Diego, CA. His name is Jordan Congdon.

Congdon came to Lincoln from St. Augustine High School in San Diego and was widely regarded as the best kicker in the country. His accuracy was deadly as a senior, hitting 11-of-13 field goal attempts with a long of 53 yards. He was named to the U.S. Army All-America game and was joined there by fellow Husker Marlon Lucky from Los Angeles.

As a freshman, Congdon was nothing short of stellar. His career appeared to get off to a rocky start as he missed his first extra-point attempt of the season against Maine, but then he converted his next 31 in a row and aims to continue that streak into the 2006 season.

Congdon ranked first among freshman kickers in field goal accuracy (.826) and also was tied for 16th among all kickers in field goals per game (1.58). He connected on 19-of-23 attempts, breaking the Nebraska season record of 18 held by Kris Brown, on the way to earning freshman All-America honors, 2005 first-team freshman All-Big 12, and second-team All-Big 12.

Among his 19 field goals, Congdon had a streak of 11 straight conversions and only missed one of his last 13 attempts. He made four field goals against Maine in the season opener and only missed two in Big 12 play.

Congdon also demonstrated he could handle clutch situations as well as anybody in the country twice in 2005. Against Iowa State, Congdon connected for the game-tying field goal that sent the Huskers into overtime and helped them win the game.

And, against Kansas State, with the Cornhuskers trailing 25-24, Congdon connected on a 40-yard game-winning field goal that would provide the Huskers the spark they would need to finish the season with a three-game winning streak, their first since 1999.

When Nebraska travels to Los Angeles to face USC on Sept. 16, Congdon will again be able to show off his kicking ability to his hometown friends, but this time he will be in Husker red.

Get more Nebraska Cornhuskers coverage at Realfootball365.com
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CommentsComments: 4  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
sker4life		03:17 PM
08/23/2006
I believe kicker is an underated position. A lot people could probably care less about who their kicker is. Kicking is very...
No.2
Ryan		04:07 PM
08/23/2006
Sorry to disappoint you IM a die hard husker fan my self too living in nebraska my whole life but we ARE going to have our best...
No.3
sker4life		08:38 PM
08/23/2006
I'm not really dissapointed nor do I really care that much about our punter. What would really dissapiont me and dash my high...
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