Perhaps the best thing to be said about freshman Harrison Butker’s successful debut as Georgia Tech’s kicker is that it didn’t surprise coach Paul Johnson.
Butker, a Westminster product, got off to a good start for the Jackets by forcing seven touchbacks on kickoffs during the 70-0 victory.
“We fully expected that,” Johnson said. “It’s the way he kicked the ball in practice.”
Butker never got to try his first field-goal attempt because the offense rolled to eight touchdowns on nine possessions (not counting the end of the game). But kickoffs are another area where the Yellow Jackets need help after they managed only 22 touchbacks on 88 attempts (25 percent) in 2012 and eight on 80 attempts (10 percent) in 2011.
Butker already is on track to drastically improve those numbers. He put seven of his nine kickoffs deep into the end zone for touchbacks and placed a high-hanging kick at the 1-yard line that Elon’s Kierre Brown returned to the 17.
The only negative for Butker was a first-half kickoff that went out of bounds at the 5-yard line for a penalty. Other than that, he said he was happy with his first game for the team he grew up cheering.
“I was pretty nervous before the game, but once I got out there and was looking around, I felt like it was home,” Butker said. “I was excited, ready to go, felt confident. All of the nerves went away when I ran out the tunnel.”
Tech’s kicking game has been in flux for going on three seasons, so signing Butker was important. He also received scholarship offers from Auburn, Cincinnati and Boston College.
Tech’s Justin Moore was 11-for-17 on field goals in 2011 before David Scully supplanted him in 2012. Scully was 4-for-8 on field goals last season and Moore was 2-for-4, then Moore appeared ready to take over regular duties again after a strong spring.
But coach Paul Johnson dismissed Moore from the team in May for a violation of team rules. That left Butker and Scully to compete for the job.
At Westminster, Butker set school records for longest field goal made (53 yards) and most field goals in a season (16-of-17 as a junior). Now he’s in line to do big things for Tech.
He said he had lots of family and friends at Bobby Dodd Stadium for his first game.
“It was really exciting,” Butker said. “Last year I went to all of the home games, and I envisioned myself kicking. Then I finally was today, so it was kind of a dream come true.”
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