During a year that has been full of unusual circumstances, the Alabama Crimson Tide find themselves on the right side of an unusual occurrence as its starting place kicker, Will Reichard has shown major consistency through six games and may be the silent MVP for Nick Saban and company.
Reichard has been perfect for the Tide this season. The Hoover, Alabama native has nailed eight field goal attempts with a long of 52 and is 37-37 on PATs. Five of his made field goals are from at least 30 yards out.
Reichard’s consistency has created even more confidence in an Alabama offense, that has been pretty much unstoppable. Saban said he feels having a healthy Reichard means more than a lot after Alabama defeated the Tennessee Volunteers.
“It means a tremendous amount,” Saban said. “It takes a lot of pressure off of you in a lot of situations where you feel very confident you can kick a field goal from 35 yards and in. That is very comforting because a lot of times you get in situations where there is nothing more demoralizing for a team then when you have an opportunity to kick a field goal, you are already upset because you did not get the touchdown and you did not finish the drive. Then you miss it and it is kind of a psychological let down. To have a good kicker really is a positive, I think it is a weapon. I think Will has done a very good job.”
During the last few seasons, Alabama and consistently good kicking performances have gone together like vinegar and oil. Not only have Alabama’s kickers struggle to put the ball through the post on field goals, extra point attempts have dinged the post more than once. In 2018, Alabama missed six extra point attempts. The Tide cut that number in half in 2018 with only three misses.
Reichard looks to have eliminated that worry as a whole as he has yet to miss an extra point attempt, which has allowed him to account for 61 of Alabama’s total points this season. However, his biggest contribution has been his ability to put the ball through the post on eight field goal attempts.
It is no secret Alabama has been on the wrong side of a couple of big plays involving kickers, which has caused Alabama’s coaching staff to be more cautious when attempting field goals. Situations in the past where Alabama has contemplated whether to go for it on fourth down in an opponents territory due to a lack of confidence in its kicker, has turned into a quick look and signal to Reichard to take the field thanks to his consistency.
With four games left in the regular season and a possible SEC Championship appearance on the horizon, Alabama looks to have a new found strength in an area that has been a big weakness.
