Alabama has faced some recent kicking woes, causing Nick Saban to field more inquiries about the position.
Will Reichard missed his only field-goal attempt in Week 5 before missing two more in the second half of last Saturday’s 24-20 win over Texas A&M.
Reliable kickers are a luxury teams don’t always appreciate until they’re gone. Per AL.com’s Michael Casagrande, Saban said kickers are like “assassins” rather than traditional players.
Despite Reirchard’s recent struggles, Saban endorsed the usually reliable senior.
“Will’s been kicking for a long time,” Saban told reporters Wednesday, via Charlie Potter of 247Sports. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him. Nobody can make every kick. But I just don’t want him to press. I don’t want him to feel like there’s any anxiety or pressure.”
Reichard has made 47 of 59 field goals during his collegiate career and is perfect on 35 extra-point tries this season. He also made a 50-yarder in last week’s narrow win over the Aggies.
Saban isn’t publicly panicking about Reichard’s misses, but every point could be crucial in this Saturday’s enormous SEC showdown against No. 6 Tennessee. The Crimson Tide can’t afford to squander any scoring opportunities against an undefeated Volunteers squad averaging 46.8 points per game.