BYU Holds Off Naming Starter At Kicker Before Notre Dame Game
Oct 4, 2022, 10:16 PM
BYU kicker Jake Oldroyd will be competing for his job this week entering the showdown with Notre Dame. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – After four consecutive weeks of struggles with field goal attempts, BYU football isn’t announcing the starting kicker going into the Notre Dame game.
“I’m going to keep that to myself, if that’s OK, until the game,” said BYU assistant head coach Ed Lamb when asked by KSL Sports if Oldroyd would be the starting kicker against the Irish. “I understand your question and where you’re coming from, and there needs to be a competition, and we have full confidence in Justen Smith.”
#BYU is keeping the starting kicker spot a secret heading into the Notre Dame game. 🤫 #BYUvsND #BYUFootball #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/m2JHiGE4ow
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 5, 2022
Redshirt Junior Jake Oldroyd, who has been with the program since the 2016 season, is 5-of-10 on field goal attempts in 2022. He’s missed five of his last six attempts.
Two weeks ago, in a win over Wyoming, BYU brought in walk-on Justen Smith to handle the lone field goal attempt. He made the 25-yard attempt. Throughout his career, which dates back to 2020, Smith is 3-of-4 on field goal attempts.
Last season, when Oldroyd was sidelined due to lower back pain moments before the season opener against Arizona at Allegiant Stadium, Smith made a 40-yard attempt.
Ed Lamb’s preference with the BYU kicker spot
Lamb was also asked if he prefers having two kickers or if he wants to get down to one kicker.
“As a coach, I look at it as, ‘what is our highest potential at any given moment?’ And I’ve failed in that way because I think we can be hitting at a higher clip than we are,” Lamb said on Tuesday after practice. “Obviously, like at any position, talent is a big piece of that. That’s the thing I want to start with, and that’s where I want to put most of my energy, but in the end, we’ve got to go with those who deliver the most often. So we’re gonna find that out.”
Outside of Oldroyd and Justen Smith, BYU also has walk-on kicker Cash Peterman as the third kicker on the depth chart. The competition rages on as BYU gears up for a game against Notre Dame, where many prognostications view the matchup as a toss-up.
“I felt like the competition just brings out better success for you, and nobody should be offended if they’re getting their job in question. It’s OK,” said BYU coach Kalani Sitake when asked about the kicking competition this week. “And I think we will come to a conclusion of what’s best for us this Saturday.”
No. 16 BYU vs. Notre Dame
Location: Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. (MT)
TV: KSL 5 TV (Pregame coverage from Las Vegas begins at 5 p.m.)
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM – Extended pregame in Vegas begins at noon)
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
