Tech works to address kicking issues

Scott Blair has a new plan.

He’s going to be working on field goals more.

The Georgia Tech sophomore kicker, who handled kickoffs, field goals and punts for the Jackets last Thursday against Jacksonville State, dedicated more practice time to punting than field goals before the season opener.

Perhaps as a result, his only punt was a near-beauty, a 51-yarder that checked up on the Gamecocks’ 1-yard line but rolled into the end zone. However, he was 0-for-2 on field goals and missed one of his six point-after tries.

“I thought my field goals were ready,” Blair said, “and I guess they weren’t.”

Coach Paul Johnson said Monday following practice that the team will dedicate more time to the kicking game this week. In addition to the field goal problems, Georgia Tech fumbled away one kickoff and nearly lost another.

“We try to work on the kicking game every day,” Johnson said, “but there’s certain facets we’re going to spend more time on.”

Redshirt freshman Chandler Anderson, from Columbus, could take punting duties away from Blair. Johnson said that this week’s practice for Saturday’s game at Boston College will determine who will kick and punt.

The last time that one player handled punting and field goals for Tech was a quarter century ago, by Ron Rice. Blair said that he handled all three kicking duties in high school.

“I can’t really complain about it being too much,” he said. “I felt pretty good when I was out there.”

The miscues were all the more glaring considering the standard set in recent seasons. Last year, punter Durant Brooks won the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s best punter, and place-kicker Travis Bell was an all-ACC pick who set school records for most field goals in a season, career and for career field goal percentage.

Special teams coordinator Jeff Monken said that Blair did “fine” in practice Monday.

“He’s kicked in games before,” Monken said. “He’ll be fine. I don’t think it’s anything.”

Injury report

Two starting linebackers, Anthony Barnes and Brad Jefferson, did not practice Monday, as well as backup Shane Bowen. Jefferson has already been ruled out for Saturday with an arm/wrist injury. Barnes injured his shoulder against Jacksonville State and Bowen his quadriceps.

As of Monday, Saturday’s starters at linebacker are Barnes Kyle Jackson and Travis Chambers.

“We’ve got some guys that are banged up there,” Johnson said. “We’ll see who’s available to play Saturday and sort it out.”

For Chambers, it is a remarkable turn. The senior hasn’t played since 2005. He missed 2006 with a foot injury and was not on the team last year. In an Aug. 22 story in the Journal-Constitution, linebacker coach Brian Jean-Mary called it “a misunderstanding” between Chambers and then-coach Chan Gailey’s staff. Chambers said he was told to leave the team; the school said that he left.

Johnson took him back on the team.

ACC honor

Senior left tackle Andrew Gardner was named the ACC offensive lineman of the week Monday. Gardner, making his 40th consecutive start, helped the Jackets score touchdowns on four of their first six possessions and crank out 484 yards of total offense.

It’s the second time he has been so named.

“I thought I could have played a little bit better, but obviously, whoever makes that decision thought I did a pretty good job,” Gardner said.