Derek, it looks like the kicking you showed earlier this spring has
continued all the way through. This is no fluke. You didn't look
like this at all last spring and August. What do you think has been the
difference this spring for you?
"I would say the confidence that the coaching staff has shown in me.
You know how it's been. It's been a rough four years. I've known
that I've had the ability all along, and they gave me a chance this spring and
showed their faith. They've kept the snaps and holds consistent and kept
the pressure on me. Obviously I missed that one at the end [of today's
practice], but for the most part, it's been pretty good. And my own
confidence, too."
Did you know to start this spring that you had this confidence all put
together, or did some early success in these practices help to build your
confidence to where it is now?
"I have been kicking well since camp last year. Unfortunately it didn't
work out for me to do all the fields and the kickoffs. I just took the
attitude of don't put any pressure on myself and carry over what I did in the
fall. Historically, spring ball has been a little rough for me. It
hasn't been as good as I would like it to be. But a lot of that has also
been due to some inconsistencies with the operation and figuring out who is
snapping, who is holding. The fact is that it's been consistent this year.
Bobby [Dockter] has been doing a great job. Jay [Ottovegio] has been doing
a great job. Even Brent [Newhouse] and Bo [McNally] when they have had to
snap and hold for the two's have been doing an outstanding job, too. That
makes a big difference. That makes a huge difference. Apart
from that, it's starting out from day one with the chance to be the starter,
making that first kick and then running with it has just been awesome."
Can you break down any technical or mechanical things that you are doing
differently or that the film shows you are doing more consistently?
"Not really. I didn't really change much in the off-season because I
was kicking really well finishing last year and didn't want to mess with it too
much. I kind of became a little more upright with my stance. Not
many people notice that, but it's a small change that I made. It's helped.
This summer I need to work on my steps from the right side because they're
inconsistent right now..."
You've really only missed from the right hash marks this spring, right?
"Actually, any time I have missed this spring - which hasn't been that often
- it's been from the right side. I've missed one kick from the middle and
zero from the left. No joke. It's not because I'm hitting them
badly. It's because I'm aligning incorrectly. If you notice, the
ones that I miss, they're still high and good ball flight, but they barely miss.
I'll get that fixed."
I don't think there has been a kick this spring that has come up short
yet. Is this also the strongest that you've been? Are you swinging
with more power than before?
"It's been about the same. Actually, it's been windy, which is
sometimes good and sometimes hurtful. That's one thing that I've actually
been appreciative of - for when we do get those conditions. It hasn't
shown up in team [periods] as much because we've been kicking here [points to
one field], it's more across. Going that way, it's more downwind.
On my own, I've been working into the wind more, so that when we get that next
season, the team is going to benefit. I'm going to make them into the wind
because I've been working on that myself."
After last season, it was doubtful whether you would come back for a fifth
year. What was your thought process during the winter and your talks with
the new coaching staff? You're still not on scholarship, and being here in
the fall is another financial burden.
"I'm
doing graduate work this fall, so that's the same it will cost as being an
undergrad for the year. Hopefully I can come through and keep the starting
job and get on scholarship. That would be awesome, assuming it's
available. In the off-season, I wanted to come back because I have
unfinished business here. I came in behind Michael Sgroi. He and I
were about the same and he had more experience than me, so he was the starter.
I had to deal with that. Last year didn't go quite as well as I had
planned, and I knew that with a new staff it was a fresh start. I walked
into Coach [Jim] Harbaugh's office the first day back from winter break and sat
down with him. I told him, 'Listen. I'm your guy, and I just want a
shot.' Obviously he has given me a shot, so hopefully I stay his guy."
What is your relationship with D.J. Durkin? I know that the special
teams coordinator does not necessarily work hand-in-hand with the kicking
operation, but how has he been helpful?
"Yeah, you're right. We don't work with him one-on-one. As far as
technique is concerned, he's very hands-off. Matt Weiss has been working
with us. It's a little more hands-off than last year. We've been
doing more of our own thing, with him overseeing it. Coach Durkin reminds
us a lot of Coach [Tom] Quinn. He brings us a lot of fire.
Sometimes, like after I just missed this last one, he jumped me a little bit.
But it's tough love. We all love him. Hopefully it shows with our
special teams play on the field because he is doing really well for us. It
showed last year, when we were a little weak in some areas on special teams and
maybe could have made a difference in a couple different games. Hopefully
we get that tightened up."
What have you charted as far as the distances you have kicked and your
accuracy at 40-plus yards?
 |
| Belch readies for a FG with Jim Harbaugh
close behind |
"That last one in team period was 54 or 53 [yards]. That's the furthest
we have even tried, and I think I made it by a few yards. Honestly because
we kick over there into the wind, we don't have any reason to even try anything
over 45 because it will just get your confidence down. If you're kicking
and it feels good but then the ball goes off, you can't do anything half the
time. We are charting actually. They have a spreadsheet that has
been made. For the spring, I'm 85 percent for everything together, which I
would say is pretty good. That's extra points and field goals."
"I think I have missed one PAT all spring in that scrimmage two weeks ago.
In the scrimmages, I have missed only one field goal, which is great.
Those are games for me. That's where I show. Coach Durkin was just
telling me, 'You have to make those at the end [of practice],' and obviously I
do. But Saturday is when they count because those are the closest things I
have been to a game other than the one attempt at Arizona State last year.
That's where I get a chance to prove myself, and I think I'm five out of six,
including that 50-yarder last week. Other than that, it's just the right
side. I have to work on that, and it shows up in the stat sheets.
We'll get it fixed."
I know you have done less of this compared to the field goals and PATs,
but the NCAA has made kickoffs tougher again this year. They took an inch
off the tee last year, and now they want to make it even harder moving it five
yards back to the 30. Can you tell us as a kicker, how tough is that?
"Well, last year we did a lot of directional kicking. I think a lot of
people were wondering why I didn't have a lot of touchbacks when I have as
strong a leg as I do on field goals. To be honest, I need to improve my
kickoff distance relative to how strong my leg is for field goals. It can
get a lot better. That said, we were directional kicking every single time
last year, with the exception of a couple games where we had the wind at our
back. Coach [Jeff] Hammerschmidt said, 'Give me a touchback. I don't
care where it goes.' We were trying to put the ball on the numbers every
single time. For the most part, it was every single time. Or we did
that little 'sky kick' to the right where we would line up on the left and go to
the right."
"The stats were deceiving. I think I was something like 25 or 30
percent touchbacks. If you took away the sky kicks, that went up to like
40. Also you can take away some of the directional stuff that we did
because it's really hard when you're trying to place it in one spot. You
don't want to just let it rip because if you miss it, you're in trouble.
Luckily, I didn't hit one line drive or one out of bounds all year last year.
They were all pretty much in the right spot. Coach Durkin originally
before they changed the rule wanted me: 'Okay, just blast it. We'll cover
it.' For now, we're kicking deep right. He says, 'Put it to the
right of the hash. I don't care where it goes.' As we get into the
season, I think I'll show him that I can place it in certain spots. That
will make a big difference."
"Also there's hangtime. I think against the people we played, I didn't
notice too many guys other than the kid from Arizona who was getting them up
there over four [seconds]. I think I had several over four each game -
however many kickoffs we had, which was few [laughs]. In the games
where we had four kickoffs, maybe two or three of them were over four seconds.
If you get four seconds of hangtime off that one-inch tee, that's pretty good.
Hopefully I can do the same this year."
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