FOOTBALL: Setta keeps on kicking despite recent struggles
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Sports Writer
Put slump and Setta in the same sentence and Tyrone Willingham snaps.
"I haven't seen a kicker that's been in a slump," Notre Dame's head coach said Tuesday. "The one we have is not in a slump. He's missed a couple of field goals."
That's putting it mildly. Since Nicholas Setta began the year with a 5-for-6 field goal kicking performance against Maryland, the normally dependable Irish kicker has struggled. He's made just three of his last 10 field goal attempts and sunk to a new low against Stanford when he missed a career-high three field goals in one game.
To put Setta's statistics in perspective, his eight field goal misses this season are as many as he had in 2000 and 2001 combined.
"It's unfortunate the way things are going," Setta said. "The biggest thing for me is you're not helping your team out any. Games could have come down to those field goals and you want to be there. … You want the whole package."
The Irish kicker isn't quite sure what the source of his recent problems is. The only thing he has noticed when he watched film of his errant kicks is that he started lifting his head up earlier to watch the ball's flight. But whether the fact that he's raising his head after a kick is the reason he's dropping his head after the ball sails wide, he's not quite sure.
But what Setta doesn't have to worry about is losing the support of his head coach.
"I don't believe in kicking slumps, that's a personal thing," Willingham said. "Sometimes you can notice certain things, but usually the young men themselves, because they are so well taught in their fundamental skills, will notice some things during films that may be off. But there is always the possibility that they just missed it."
If Willingham is losing faith in his kicker, even privately, he's not showing it by the frequency he sends Setta onto the field. Already, the Irish kicker already has attempted 17 field goals in five games this season, compared to only 16 attempts during the entire 2001 campaign.
That confidence from his coach keeps Setta from losing confidence in himself. Much like a basketball player struggling to find his shot has to shoot his way out of a slump, Setta thinks he just has to keep jogging onto the field.
"[Making or missing kicks], that's not luck," he said. "It's a matter of getting through it and hitting it."
Setta's in no danger of losing his job — he beat out backup David Miller for the kicking job two years ago, and has never been challenged since.
Instead of the misses, Setta's trying to focus on the big kicks he's made in his career, most notably a game-winning 38-yard boot against Purdue his sophomore year. By thinking about the kicks he's made, Setta believe he can send the ball hurtling through the goal posts instead of fluttering to the side.
"You just have to keep going, and coach told me to keep going," Setta said. "I haven't lost any confidence in myself, and when the game comes down to it, I'm sure I'll make it."
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, October 9, 2002
