Georgia Tech sophomore Justin Moore knows what it’s like to struggle to make kicks because he’s thinking too much.
Moore said it happened with him last spring and summer because he put pressure on himself to win the starting kicker position. Eventually Moore, the only scholarship kicker signed by coach Paul Johnson at Tech, worked his way through those issues.
Now, though, Johnson has said he might open competition for Moore’s position after Moore had two long field-goal attempts blocked because of low trajectory. The most recent was during Saturday’s 24-21 defeat at Virginia, when Moore’s 52-yard attempt was blocked.
This time Moore, who is 4-for-8 this season on field goals, insists his struggles are more about technique than in his head.
“The trajectory thing is all in my swing right now,” he said. “It’s not a mental thing. I just need to get it right, and then it will be good to go.”
To help him get on track, Moore turned to Morten Andersen, who made the most field goals and scored the most points in NFL history.
Andersen, whose 25-year NFL career included eight seasons with the Falcons, runs camps for kickers in Gwinnett County. He got a call from Moore’s father Monday evening and had a 90-minute coaching session with Moore on Tuesday morning.
“He’s talented,” Andersen said. “He’s got good-ball striking. He’s very intelligent. Once I communicated the philosophy of the whole thing, and I got the concept through to him, he very quickly adjusted and hit some very beautiful balls with vertical flight.”
Moore said he’s acquainted with Andersen through Fred Kalil, a neighbor who hosts a Falcons show on WXIA. When Moore was a junior at Marist, he met Andersen at the studio and got his phone number. (Andersen said he doesn’t recall the meeting, but noted that he gets introduced to lots of people.)
Andersen had Moore focus on moving his plant foot a bit farther from the ball so he could better clear his hips before striking it. He said the technique for kicking the ball higher is somewhat similar to a golfer who must “chop down” on the ball to increase flight trajectory.
“I’m impressed with the way he responded to the changes,” Andersen said. “I suspect there will not be much issue with trajectory anymore. But it’s important that young guys don’t get ahead of themselves and stay in the moment.
“I’m very impressed with his attitude in attacking the problem and being proactive. He didn’t blame anybody else. He said, ‘It’s on me,” and he takes ownership of his skill. I think that’s really important as an athlete that you do that.”
Moore got to try out the adjustments at practice Tuesday. Tech assistant Mike Sewak had all of the kickers run through drills that included kicks from varying distances in game-like situations.
Moore said he immediately saw dividends from his work with Andersen. “Now it’s just drill it and drill it so it’s perfect, and it’s just my thing that I do every time I kick,” he said.
If Moore can’t get it down, Johnson would turn to one of five walk-on players. The candidates include David Scully, who took over kickoff duties from Moore earlier this season, and Chris Tanner, who kicked extra points in 2009.
Sewak, who coaches kickers as well as offensive linemen, said the competition during practice hasn’t been great.
“I’ve got six out there, and four of them are still kicking it low,” he said.
Sewak said Moore is working hard to gain the team’s confidence. He said he has watched Moore do well in practice, but suspects the intensity of “the spotlight” during games is a factor in his struggles.
Moore said kicking field goals is “80 percent mental,” but that it goes hand-in-hand with achievement.
“Increased confidence comes with increased success,” he said, “then the mental part kind of diminishes.”
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