Christian Benvenuto already has forgotten his 0-for-4 field-goal performance in Saturday’s 17-14 overtime loss to Texas-San Antonio.
“My coach from my high school always told me that there’s a midnight rule. You’ve got to forget about it [by then],” he said.
None of the misses were chip shots. He missed the first, a 49-yarder, wide left. The second, from 47 yards, was blocked because he hit it badly, Benvenuto said. The third, from 45 yards with 1:59 remaining in regulation, sailed wide. The last, from 48 yards in overtime, also sailed wide.
“I just couldn’t get them to drop,” he said.
Benvenuto hasn’t split the upright in his past five attempts. He had a 24-yard field-goal attempt blocked in the overtime win against South Alabama.
Coach Bill Curry said Benvenuto will continue to handle field-goal duties Saturday against St. Francis at the Georgia Dome. Before last weekend’s performance, the freshman had made eight of his 12 attempts, including six of eight from at least 40 yards.
Curry took some of the blame for the misses, saying that Benvenuto has belied his age by attempting so many long field goals this season.
“I should have thought about that,” Curry said. “But he’s performed so well in practice. And we’ve put him under pressure. He’s been ice water until Saturday. Then he became a freshman, and we’ve put him under too much duress.”
Regarding other special-teams issues, Curry said the coaches will continue to try different players on the kickoff coverage team until they can find an effective combination. The Panthers gave up 90 yards on three returns Saturday, increasing the opponents’ season average to 22.1 yards per return.
Mood of the team
Safety Brandon Jones said the Panthers are still upbeat with three winnable games remaining, despite the assurance of a losing record.
“There have been certain guys who feel a little depressed about the season, but then we have leaders on our team that continuously keep everybody’s heads up,” he said. “They let them know that the season is not over. We signed up for 11 games, and we need to finish them as strong as possible and do what we can to win.
“Being on the losing side is very hard. We’ve been continuously encouraging everyone that we can build off of this season and use it to get stronger as a program. Everyone wants to finish out strong and finish with a positive outlook on the season.”
Personnel updates
Defensive lineman Terrance Woodard, whom Curry said has been improving, is questionable for Saturday’s game. Quarterback Drew Little, who hasn’t played in two weeks because of injuries sustained against Murray State on Oct. 8, is closer to 100 percent. Linebacker Jake Muasau, who had 10 tackles with two sacks and an interception Saturday, should play. He suffered an undisclosed injury against Texas-San Antonio. He didn’t practice Tuesday and participated in a few sessions Wednesday. Linebacker Dexter Moody won’t start Saturday, but will play. Moody, the team’s leading tackler, violated team rules.
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