Iowa football special teams focused on improvement in field goal, PATs during bye week

IOWA CITY — Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods watches all 11 Hawkeyes on the field during kickoff and punt returns and the kicking units.

He made it clear, he’s not just watching one person, or putting blame on an individual.

He’s watched the football sail wide right on a few field goals by Drew Stevens this season. Woods admits it’s a missed opportunity to score, but the blame isn’t entirely on the senior kicker.

“First off, it's a unit, so it's not just one person. Drew is the kicker, so everyone looks at him,” Woods said. “But there's 10 other guys out there. There's 10 other things, 10 other layers that go into that in regards to any play in football, particularly in field goal.”

The Hawkeyes (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) have already experienced thrilling highs and damning lows through the first five weeks of the season — particularly on special teams. They’ve blocked a field goal, but had a punt blocked. There have been missed field goals, both in Iowa’s favor and against the Hawkeyes.

Of course, there’s been Kaden Wetjen’s two returns for touchdowns, too.

Woods said generating more consistency is key. Some special teams mistakes have been bigger than others, but he believes they’re all fixable.

Stevens’ missed field goal against No. 11 Indiana could’ve been the game-winning play. Woods knows it, and he knows Stevens knows it.

“The guy has made three game-winning kicks for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He didn't get one the other day. It sucks. It frickin' stinks,” Woods said. “If you are a competitor like Drew is, he has to sit here not only for one week, but he has to sit here two weeks thinking about it for the next opportunity.

“So that stuff eats at you as a competitor.”

Stevens was perfect through the first two games of the season, knocking down a career-long 54-yard field goal in the season opener against Albany.

Stevens said leading up to the Hawkeyes Week 3 game against UMass that he’s adjusting his kickoff technique, focusing on driving his kickoffs. The goal is to have more of a powerful, low-arched kick, rather than a more floating kickoff — and it works best to eliminate kickoff returns.

Stevens also said transitioning between the new change and his traditional field goal or PAT kick was a difficult switch to make in-game.

“So I was working on kickoffs and Saturday I struggled to make the switch,” Stevens said two weeks ago. “On a kickoff you’re supposed to make it higher, and I thought my kickoffs Saturday were really good. And I think it just rubbed off on field goals a little bit.”

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Stevens added that missing a short, 38-yard field goal was a fluke, too.

“Now, when I miss, I know what to look for,” Stevens said. “I have a lot more fixed variables that aren’t changing, so if there is an issue, there’s only so many places to look.”

Since the Week 3 game, Stevens has missed either a field goal or a PAT in the last three matchups. He’s still made 75-percent of his field goals, and over 94-percent of his PATs.

That translates to three missed field goals out of 12 attempts, and only one missed PAT on 17 attempts.

Woods, however, looks at the entire picture, like seeing how the unit blends together. He said the team — which is balancing two long snappers with former Hawkeye Luke Elkin gone — still is learning how to mesh together.

It takes time for the feel of a unit becoming a machine, and it’s still growing.

“Whether you are talking about whoever is snapping the ball over whatever, it's three guys that haven't been together nearly as long as Luke to Ty to Drew,” Woods said. “There's some of that still working through as well.”

That’s part of what the bye week is for.

“It's unbelievable the growth Drew has made,” Woods said, “and the amount of confidence I have in this guy and the stuff I've seen him do on the football field, it's unbelievable ... To me I think it's more just more didn't get the job done. That happens from time to time.”

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