College kickers? College kickers! Meet Week 9's unlikely heroes

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  Kyle BonaguraNov 1, 2026, 12:34 AM ET

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  • Covers college football.
  • Joined ESPN in 2014.
  • Attended Washington State University.

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College kickers.

In internet parlance, those two words, paired next two each, have a certain connotation. The rough translation, for the longest time, has been: College football coaches should never rely on their field goal units because they cannot be trusted.

Their tendency to miss seemingly routine kicks has helped create the stereotype, turning even the shortest field goal attempts into moments of collective anxiety for fans and coaches.

For much of Saturday's game between No. 4 Indiana and Minnesota, that reputation seemed well-earned.

Indiana's Nico Radicic had a 52-yard field goal blocked, missed a 31-yarder, made a 46-yarder and then didn't get the opportunity to kick a game-tying 27-yard field goal because of a fumbled snap. It was a chain of events that could have had coach Curt Cignetti abandon kicking all together.

Instead, the game delivered -- and we don't say this lightly -- perhaps the most impressive display of field-goal kicking in college football history.

With the score tied at 13, Minnesota's Luke Drzewiecki drilled a 60-yarder with ease, leaving just 19 seconds on the clock for Indiana to avoid a stunning upset.

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Minnesota's Luke Drzewiecki drills 60-yard FG to give Gophers a brief lead

After backup quarterback Grant Wilson connected with Charlie Becker on a 33-yard pass, the Hoosiers sent Paddy McAteer onto the field to attempt a 60-yarder of his own. With the game on the line and no time remaining, McAteer delivered, sending the game to overtime.

It was a sequence without precedent in modern college football. According to ESPN Research, this was the first FBS game in at least 30 years to feature multiple made field goals from 60-plus yards. The last time a game featured more than one was 1976, when Texas A&M's Tony Franklin hit from 64 and 65 yards in a game against Baylor.

For perspective, there was just one field goal from that distance in all of FBS over the five seasons from 2014 through 2018. The last time there were two field goals made from that distance in the Big Ten was 1899, when the conference was still known as the Western Conference. Prior to Saturday, there had only been seven made 60-plus yarders in Big Ten history.

Not only did McAteer and Drzewiecki convert from that range, they both did it with the game on the line.

Indiana went on to win 23-16 in overtime, with Wilson connecting with Becker for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play of the extra period before the Hoosiers' defense secured the victory. But the outcome still managed to feel like a subplot given the kicking clinic to end regulation.

For Indiana, it's possibly a season-saving win. The type of result that can be the difference between playing for the Big Ten title or reaching the playoff or being left out. For now, the defending national champions are in an enviable position: 8-1 with room for a misstep.

Ohio State, meanwhile, wasn't as fortunate.

Without quarterback Julian Sayin, the Buckeyes fell flat in a 30-18 loss to USC, giving them little margin of error with four regular season games remaining.

No. 1 Miami nearly suffered a similar fate, but eked out a 38-35 win against unranked North Carolina, likely assuring it will be the No. 1 team when the first College Football Playoff rankings are released this week. Meanwhile, No. 3 Georgia cruised against Florida, No. 5 Notre Dame beat Navy, and both No. 6 Utah and No. 7 UCLA stayed undefeated.

There will be plenty of debate about where teams belong when the first College Football Playoff rankings are released Tuesday, but it's important to keep in mind that sometimes the only difference between these teams can be a college kicker.

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USC not done yet
A respectable loss for UNC
Big 12 leaders update
Closing bell

USC, Lincoln Riley not done yet

Coming off a lethargic loss to Wisconsin, USC coach Lincoln Riley again fielded questions this week about his future in Los Angeles. His response was predictable, reaffirming his belief that he is the right person for the job and wants to be at USC.

But with the Trojans on the precipice of playoff elimination -- a third loss would almost surely sink USC's dimming playoff aspirations -- the exercise with local media also felt instructive. In Year 5 under Riley, USC had fallen out of the AP Top 25 and was again on its way to being outside the playoff picture. It was fair to consider the end was near. He had his chance, and there was nothing to show for it.

That was the backdrop for USC's stunning 30-18 win against No. 2 Ohio State at the Coliseum, securing Riley his biggest win as the Trojans head coach.

One win doesn't erase the disappointment of the past several seasons, but it breathes new life into this one. With a trip to No. 4 Indiana on Nov. 14, the Trojans have a chance to add back-to-back signature wins that reframe what to make of Riley's program.

"I believe in our team," Riley said in the on-field interview after the game. "I believe in what we're doing here."

A win against the Hoosiers -- who have proven to be vulnerable -- might be enough to convert skeptics. If that happens, then things really get interesting with only Maryland and undefeated UCLA left on the schedule.

Riley isn't done yet, and neither are the Trojans.

A strange milestone for UNC

When North Carolina hired Bill Belichick, the most successful coach in NFL history, it did so with the expectation he could transform the program into a contender. So far, that hasn't happened. The Tar Heels regressed under Belichick a year ago, and while they're better this season, they aren't relevant in the ACC title race.

Which made Saturday's close loss to No. 1 Miami such a strange milestone.

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Miami survives UNC's upset bid to remain undefeated

It was arguably the best North Carolina has looked under Belichick, and a glimpse into how the team is capable of performing. But it was also still a loss and there is something inherently ridiculous about celebrating a moral victory for a team coached by a man who won six Super Bowls as a head coach.

Belichick was hired to make North Carolina a winner, not to make its losses more respectable.

And yet, nearly two seasons into his tenure, a close loss to Miami might be the clearest evidence yet that the program is moving in the right direction.

For Miami, the perspective is entirely different.

The Hurricanes escaped Chapel Hill with their perfect record intact, improving to 8-0 and 6-0 in the ACC. In a season when highly-ranked teams have routinely stumbled, there's plenty of value in simply finding a way to win. With a trip to Notre Dame looming next week, Miami will need to be better.

Utah rolls; Texas Tech and BYU bounce back

Order was restored in the Big 12, as No. 8 BYU and No. 13 Texas Tech bounced back after their first losses of the season, while No. 6 Utah played its most complete game of the season in a rout of Cincinnati.

It sets up what might be the most anticipated Holy War in history next week in Salt Lake City, where Utah will host BYU in the first-ever top-10 matchup in the rivalry's storied history.

Utah is one of just three undefeated teams in the country and has flirted with reaching the playoff on a few occasions over the years. After two less-than-convincing wins against Colorado and Houston, this week's performance against Cincinnati was a big statement. The Utes scored 42 first-half points in their 49-25 win, as quarterback Devon Dampier dazzled. His final numbers were modest -- 22 of 29, 260 yards, three touchdowns, one interception -- but the Utes' domination was not.

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Utah Utes vs. Cincinnati Bearcats: Game Highlights

Style points matter in the Big 12. Last year, BYU got left out at 11-2. Even though the conference is better this year, an at-large bid can't be assumed.

Winning the Holy War doesn't guarantee anything, either. But a loss could later prove pivotal to either team's playoff hopes with Texas Tech -- which misses both BYU and Utah -- sitting there with just one conference loss.

The closing bell

Buy: Candy opinions

Despite having the incorrect take about candy corn, philosopher and football coach Mike Leach's candy thoughts will always be worth remembering on Halloween.

"There is still candy innovation," Leach, who died in 2022, said in a TV interview after a game in 2021. "Although, a while back, I found out that Europe had better candy than we did overall, because they have gummy everything."

Hold: Kickers

Not all kickers were blessed by the college football gods this week.

Buy: Transparent replay reviews

The best development in college football this season has been the more widespread mic'd-up replay reviews. They don't prevent errors, of course, but having real-time insights into what they are looking at adds such a valuable layer of understanding for viewers. It belongs in the same bucket as the on-screen first-down line and scorebug in terms of impactful broadcast advancements.

Sell: Cal

Let's call it as it is. Tosh Lupoi's first season as the head coach at Cal has been a disaster. It's one thing to lose, but it's another to be noncompetitive. That has been the case during the past three weeks, including Saturday's 31-10 loss to NC State, which fired coach Dave Doeren after losing to Stanford last week.

Buy: Jacksonville State

The Gamecocks have quietly run off five straight wins and are 4-0 in Conference USA. The conference has become a two-team race between JSU and Liberty, and those schools don't play each other during the regular season. Quarterback Caden Creel has rushed for 713 yards and passed for 1,741.

Sell: Aaron Philo's toss

There are mistakes, and then there is whatever this was.

Sell: SMU

The Mustangs might still, technically, be alive in the ACC title race, but after losing 30-27 to Syracuse, it's hard to give them much of a shot to get there. This was simply not a game a team with conference championship aspirations can lose. Maybe the Mustangs right the ship against Wake Forest in a couple of weeks, but this was a deflating loss.

Buy: Sacramento State

In their first FBS season, all signs pointed to the Hornets going winless against FBS opposition, but that changed late Friday night against Kent State. Sac State scored 25 second-half points to erase a 10-6 halftime deficit in a 31-10 win. The Hornets still have a ways to go before they can expect to be competitive week in and week out, but this is a start.

Sell: Wisconsin

The Badgers clawed into the AP top 25 but were a complete no-show against Iowa in a 30-0 loss.