Wouldn't you know it. Just when Jason Chaffetz gets his kicking act together and turns bowl game hero for BYU, they up and change the rules on him. During the off-season the powers-that-be in the NCAA took the kicking tee away from placekickers, forcing them to drive the ball off the fairway like any weekend golfer. So is Chaffetz concerned, is he sweating bullets?
"If I had known I could kick this well off grass, I might never have used a tee," says Chaffetz.As if to prove it, during a Monday afternoon practice in Provo Chaffetz made a small wager with an observer that he could hit the right crossbar with a kick (off the grass) from 40 yards out. He did it on his first try. Fortunately for him, he can also split the uprights, as well. Two days earlier he made 3 of 5 field goal attempts during a scrimmage in Cougar Stadium, one from 48 yards (the two misses were from 49 and 51 yards.)
In other words, in a single scrimmage Chaffetz made half as many field goals as he did all last season - a season that began as a nightmare and ended as a fantasy-come-true.
Says Chaffetz, "I thought I knew what kicking at this level was about last year - the fans, the pressure. I learned at the expense of the team."
In last year's big season-opener against Wyoming, Chaffetz missed two field goals, of 35 and 48 yards, and was benched in favor of freshman Earl Kauffman, who missed a field goal attempt of his own. The following Monday, coaches told Chaffetz that Kauffman would be their kicker. Chaffetz skipped practice the next day and considered quitting.
"I put six years of my life into this and I finally get my chance, on national TV, and I'm benched," he says. "It's amazing how two swings of your leg can change your life. I thought seriously about quitting. But then I thought that I had put too much time and effort into this to quit. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I got angry."
For a time Kauffman handled most of the kicking duties, and then they shared them, with Chaffetz handling the short field goals and extra points, but it made little difference. Both of them were having problems - Chaffetz made 6 of 11 attempts during the regular season, Kauffman 5 of 12. BYU coaches grew more and more reluctant even to try field goals.
That is, until they had no choice. With the game in the balance and another national TV audience watching, Chaffetz got a second chance. In the final four minutes of the Freedom Bowl he kicked two field goals, of 31 and 35 yards, to give BYU a 20-17 win over Colorado.
"That game was a big hurdle for me," says Chaffetz.
For the record, Chaffetz has made 8 of his 13 field goal attempts, counting the bowl game. He is on a roll. But now, in his senior season, he must adjust to a new way of kicking - off the grass.
"I was scared when I first heard about it," says Chaffetz. "Kickers are head cases anyway. But I felt an improvement when I tried it. It's more like a soccer kick now."
Chaffetz should know. He was an all-city prep soccer player in Winter Park, Colo., which might help explain his rapid adjustment to grass. In the spring game he made both of his field goal attempts, both off grass - including a 53-yarder. And then there has been his performance during two-a-days.
"The ball gets higher quicker off a tee, and it goes a little farther," says Chaffetz. "The guys kicking off (synthetic) turf definitely have an advantage. But I feel comfortable with kicking off the grass."
But not without a few adjustments. Instead of kicking from seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, he now kicks from about eight yards back. And he has shaved part of the front inside cleat of his kicking shoe to prevent it from catching in the grass during the kicking motion.
There are some problems with kicking off grass that kickers will be unable to correct - for instance, the quality of the grass.
"The rules say you can't do anything to the grass," says Chaffetz. "You can't fix it up or make a little pile of grass for a tee. If the grass is thick and smooth, it's real tough (to kick on). If it's thick and bumpy you can find a high spot. You want a low spot in front of the ball."
Except for kickoffs, Chaffetz will handle all of the placekicking chores this season, including long field goal attempts. "I never felt like the coaches had confidence in me last year," he says. "I think they're behind me now. And I think I changed their minds about long field goals in the spring game." Chaffetz has never made a field goal from beyond 40 yards, but, as he says, "I've only tried two of them."
"Jason has improved leg strength," says kicking coach Chris Pella. "He'll handle all our field goals, unless we need one from 60 yards, then we might call on Earl."
Recalling last year, Chaffetz says, "I put too much pressure on myself. I realized that if I miss, the sun still will come up. I still have my family. There are a billion people in China who aren't watching the game."