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Maryland 2010 football rewind: Kickers and punters

(Looking back on Maryland's 9-4 season in 2010. First up: The punting and kicking)

This could really just be a post about one man. Because in 2010, Travis Baltz was the face of Maryland's kicking specialists.

He attempted all of the Terps' field goals, extra points and punts. He even stepped in for four kickoffs.

And, naturally, no one saw that sort of all-around effort coming. Mainly because it didn't seem like it would be necessary back in July.

That's because Maryland got Nick Ferrara back for his sophomore season. Ferrara was one of the few bright lights from the Terps' 2-10 season in 2009. But then he struggled early in camp, got hurt a few weeks in and couldn't ever seem to nudge Baltz out of the way once he got fully healthy.

Ferrara eventually reclaimed the kickoff duties, handling those chores rather well. Folks didn't play all that much attention, of course, but Ferrara did improve in that facet over his freshman season:

2009: 55 kickoffs, 58.9 average, 4 touchbacks, 1 out of bounds
2010: 66 kickoffs, 60.7 average, 5 touchbacks, 2 out of bounds

Overall, Maryland had 81 kickoffs to the 56 required in 2009, which says plenty about how much changed for the Terps in a season-over-season basis.

Still, the most obvious kicking contributions came from Baltz, the affable senior who capped a strong career as a punter with a staunch turn as a placekicker.

Baltz's four-year run as a starter left him all over Maryland's record lists: Tied for second in career punts (224), third in punting yardage (9,224) and fifth in punting average (41.1).

While there were times it seemed worth wondering of his efforts were a little too divided, Baltz wound up with a stellar final season. His average (41.7) was the best of his career, and he dropped 23 of 67 punts inside the 20 (including 10 that fell inside the 10).

Yet in many ways, that was expected. His kicking was not.

Baltz made his first field goal attempt --- a 24-yarder that ultimately provided the winning points against Navy ---  and remained a reliable option throughout the season.

He was perfect on extra points throughout the regular season (53-for-54 including the Military Bowl) and wound up 14-for-18 on field goal attempts. Yes, he only attempted four field goals of at least 40 yards; but for a guy who hadn't kicked competitively since he was a high school senior in 2006, it made sense for Maryland to be smart about how he was used.

Ultimately, he was deployed with great effectiveness; his 95 points rank seventh on Maryland's single-season list and he tied for fifth in the conference this season in scoring. His 52-yard field goal against N.C. State was Maryland's longest since 2003.

Football is a zero-sum game for three positions more than any other: Kicker, punter and quarterback. No one is using more than one of any of them at a time (except for rare trick plays and will-they-or-won't-they-onside-kick chicanery), and they generally don't translate well to another position (a backup center, for instance, could move to guard).

Kicking and punting became a full-sum game for Baltz as a senior, and it was a test he handled well. For as much as it worried Ralph Friedgen in the preseason, the Terps' placekicking situation sorted itself out better than the since-fired coach could have planned.

With Baltz's one-man band gone, Ferrara a bit of a question mark after a lost season as a field goal kicker and no scholarship punter in the program he inherited, new coach Randy Edsall can only hope things will work out quite as well in 2011.

A look at the future of Maryland's special teams

Maryland's special teams were saved this season by Travis Baltz's ability to do two jobs rather than one (not to mention Tony Logan's early prowess on punt returns).

But questions will exist next season with Baltz's career coming to an end.

Baltz held off Nick Ferrara all season for the placekicking duties --- this a year after Ferrara enjoyed a strong debut.

Fixing Ferrara, then, would seem to be one of Maryland's offseason priorities. If not that, then identifying a kicker will be particularly important.

"I don't know," coach Ralph Friedgen said. "We'll have to see. We can't wait a whole long time. Do what we've got to do to get a placekicker in here. Hopefully it's him. We've got to him right."

There's also the matter of figuring out how to replace Baltz in his four-year role of punter. Unlike when Adam Podlesh had a redshirt year while Brooks Barnard finished his career and Baltz arrived a semester early just after Podlesh departed, there isn't an obvious succession plan in place.

Ferrara, it should be noted, punted while Baltz was out with various injuries last year. That makes him the early favorite to fill that void next fall.

"Probably Ferrara right now," Friedgen said. "I've got to recruit a guy. We're recruiting about three or four."

Choose Your Own Adventure, Maryland-style

Probably four dozen questions related to Maryland's kicking game have been asked of Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen since camp began in August.

There's a new leader in the clubhouse for the season's best.

The scenario was posed to Friedgen at his Tuesday press conference. Down three and needing a 45-yard field goal, does he

* Call upon senior Travis Baltz, a punter moonlighting as an emergency kicker whose range is still enough of a concern that Friedgen thought better of kicking a 32-yard field goal on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter at Boston College on Oct. 23?

(In fairness, that is a choice that could be justified as wanting to get a touchdown as much as eschewing the field goal; passing on a 50-yard attempt earlier in the drive cannot be justified in this way).

* Restore deposed sophomore Nick Ferrara to the kicking throne and see if he responds to his latest opportunity with mirth rather than a miss?

* Haul out his rosary and pray football becomes like soccer and adds stoppage time for just a single game?

Yeah, not an easy one, huh?

"I'd go with Ferrara," Friedgen said. "If I felt confident it wouldn't get blocked, I would send Ferrara. Nick kicked very well last night. We're going to kick today and have a head-on-head competition and see how we do. Nick kicked better than Travis last night. He kicked better than he has all year last night. We'll see how it goes.

"Nick has a strong leg. That wouldn't be the decision, whether he could make it or not or having a good opportunity to make it. The decision is 'If I get this thing blocked, is it going to get me beat.'"

Here's the thing. If there's five seconds left and it's a three-point game, the kick can veer left, fall short or get blocked and returned for a touchdown and the result is the same --- Maryland loses.

In any case, that would suggest Ferrara would get a longer attempt with the game on the line. And considering the last time Maryland sent a shaky kicker who had done virtually nothing of note all year out for a winning field goal of 40-plus length, it became Nick Novak's breakthrough game at Georgia Tech in 2001, maybe the chance for an improbable winning storyline would be too difficult to pass up.

Friedgen still hoping Ferrara can reclaim kicking job

Travis Baltz's missed 33-yard field goal at Clemson on Saturday re-opened an all-too-familiar question for the Maryland football team: Will kicker Nick Ferrara ever reclaim his old job?

The answer is probably so, even if it doesn't happen until next season.

But coach Ralph Friedgen said Sunday --- in his most overt declaration of something that's been fairly clear for weeks --- his preference is for Ferrara to re-emerge soon.

Reliability, though, remains a concern.

"I would like Nick to be the kicker, I really would," Friedgen said. "It would lighten the load on Travis, but he just hasn't done it in practice. That's my concern. In practice, Travis keeps outkicking him. I would like for him to be the kicker. Early, he was getting them blocked. Now he's not making them. He has a strong leg. They look pretty but they don't go through the uprights. That's my dilemna."

It is, indeed, a heck of a headache for Friedgen --- so much so it's hard to disagree with him sticking with the status quo in this case. A shaky field goal kicker won't help the Terps, even if there's a backup option currently in play already.

As for any concerns about Ferrara's health, Friedgen repudiated that concern by pointing out Ferrara has kicked off for the last four games, even if a particularly short kickoff ignited Andre Ellington's 87-yard return for a score against Maryland on Saturday.

"He just didn't hit that one for whatever reason," Friedgen said. "He's been doing a pretty good job of that. We'll see. I would like to [have Ferrara placekick]. Travis would be an even better punter. What I need for him to do is to make the field goal, especially a chip shot like that."

Terps kicker Ferrara's wait continues

During every Maryland football season, there's some sort of lingering issue certain to pop up each week as a relevant subplot with no conclusion or change.

This year, it happens to be the Terrapins' kicking situation.

Punter Travis Baltz handled the placekicking duties while Nick Ferrara was injured early in the season. But while Ferrara is back handling kickoffs, Baltz has kept the job as the extra point and field goal kicker.

After Wednesday's practice, it seems likely that will continue.

"Travis gets in there the first time today and gets an extra point partially blocked," coach Ralph Friedgen said. "It still goes through the uprights, but it was partially blocked. So I put Ferrara in. Ferrara kicks the first one from the 5-yard like. The second, from the 12-yard line, he misses. From the 12-yard line. So I put Baltz back in. Baltz made every one from there on. It's kind of make-it, take-it, you know what I mean? Missing from the 12-yard line, to me, is inexcusable."

Indeed, missing 29- or 30-yard field goals (depending on the spot) is no way for a kicker to ingratiate himself to a coaching staff --- or win a job.

Baltz, meanwhile, is 4-for-5 on field goals and has made 21 extra points. He's the fifth full-time kicker since Friedgen took over, and his first five games compare favorably to his predecessors.

MARYLAND KICKERS, FIRST FIVE STARTS, 2001-2010

Kicker (Year)	FG	XP	Points
Nick Novak (2001)	4/10	17/18	29
Dan Ennis (2005)	10/10	11/11	41
Obi Egekeze (2007)	5/9	15/15	30
Nick Ferrara (2009)	7/9	14/14	35
Travis Baltz (2010)	4/5	21/21	33

Of course, Ferrara was pretty good, too, and Friedgen is well aware of his abilities.

But even at 4-1, Maryland can afford to take chances only in so many areas. One place that's understandably not worth gambling on is with field goals. Baltz's only miss is from 45 yards out, which is a bit more understandable than Ferrara's practice miscue the other day.

"I'd really like for him to come on and be consistent, because I don't know how much that's affecting Travis' punting," Friedgen said. "But he's got to win the job. He's got to come out and do it. There's no question he has a strong leg. I told him, 'It's not a beauty contest. You have to kick it through the uprights. It doesn't matter how it looks like going through there.' We'll see. Until I'm pretty convinced he's being consistent, I'm probably going to stay with the other guy."

No change at kicker for Maryland --- for now

Maybe a change at kicker is coming for Maryland.

It's just hard to tell.

Coach Ralph Friedgen offered no major hints on who will handle field goals and extra points Saturday against Duke, though senior Travis Baltz (18-for-18 extra points, 4-for-5 on field goals) while Nick Ferrara has worked his way back into form.

Baltz has scored 30 points, tied for fifth among ACC players. Only Virginia Tech kicker Chris Hazley, Georgia Tech quarterback Joshua Nesbitt, Duke kicker Will Snyderwine and Florida State kicker Dustin Hopkins have more.

Ferrara handled kickoffs the last two weeks, and perhaps an opportunity to reclaim his job was created when Baltz missed a 45-yard field goal.

(For what it's worth, Ferrara was 2-for-3 from 45 yards and beyond last season).

"Baltz was ahead, but it wasn't under pressure," Friedgen said of Monday's practice. "We'll kick today and we'll kick Wednesday and we'll make a decision there."

Baltz still holding on to placekicking gig for Terps

Travis Baltz became Maryland's unexpected kicker last month.

With Nick Ferrara back, he might wind up handing the gig back.

But not without an effort to keep his extra duties.

"I was kidding Travis, are you gonna yield this job," Friedgen said. "And he said 'No, I'm not.' This was Monday night when we do our kicking drills, and Nick probably had the best of it at that time. He said, 'You know, kicking in the game is different from kicking in these drills.' I said 'I know, that's probably why you're still kicking."

Indeed, Baltz is 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts and has made all 12 of his extra points. His strong performance, coupled with his superb punting, has left Ferrara as more of a convenient luxury than a commodity put into action.

"He's been a very valuable guy for us right now," Friedgen said in what constitutes an understatement. Baltz is third in the ACC in punting average and sixth in scoring.

Still, Ferrara looms. He's re-assumed his kickoff job, and is improving in practice. The sophomore, who was 18-for-25 on field goals last year, had only one attempt blocked this week.

In the long term, he'll probably regain his job at some point, and he might be used for long attempts now. Baltz could push that date into 2011, but the presence of a second option certainly expands Friedgen's flexibility in special teams choices.

"The positive thing is Nick's start to kick better," Friedgen said. "If we can get him kicking with the leg he has and be consistent, that would help our team."

The latest on Ferrara, Yeatman

A couple of quick post-practice notes.

* Sophomore Nick Ferrara will handle the kickoff duties Saturday at West Virginia, and will also serve as the No. 2 placekicker. Ted Townsley will make the trip and handle the holding chores.

"I would think Ferrara would be the backup [to Travis Baltz at kicker]," coach Ralph Friedgen said. "Right now, he just hasn't been very successful. Baltz has actually been more successful than he has. [Ferrara] kicked a couple yesterday and missed both of them. Right now, I'll go with Baltz until he gets back in a groove. Today, he hit a couple long ones, but there wasn't a rush on. I might be tempted on a long one. We'll see. My concern is we got so many blocked in the preseason. We get one blocked it could cost us  the game."

* Tight end Will Yeatman might have a little more mobility with his hands when he makes his season debut. But he's still sort of a work in progress after missing the last month.

Friedgen said Yeatman will have a different cast placed on his hand for games to permit him more flexibility.

"It would be more conducive to catching than what he has on right now," Friedgen said. "Today, he had a big ball --- that's more a protective thing so he doesn't hit it again. Game time, I think they're going to make a plastic mold or something so he has use of his fingers. ... He catches with one hand. He's got very good hands. He's just very raw right now."

Ferrara out again; Douglas dresses

Very minimal pregame notes here in College Park, where Maryland stands a decent chance to be one of only a few ACC teams to make it into Week 3 without a loss.

Wake Forest's already there. Clemson might as well be.

The Terrapins get an undermanned Morgan State bunch. They'll be without kicker Nick Ferrara, who will miss his second straight game with a groin injury.

However, tailback Gary Douglas (ankle) is back after missing the opener.

Ferrara likely out against Morgan State

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said during his radio show tonight that sophomore kicker Nick Ferrara will likely miss a second straight game with a groin injury.

Ferrara also sat out Monday's opener against Navy, yielding to Travis Baltz (placekicking) and Ted Townsley (kickoff returns).

"He probably still won't play this week," Friedgen said. "We hope to get him back for West Virginia [on Sept. 18]."

Earlier while talking to reporters, Friedgen said he was optimistic fullback Taylor Watson (torn ACL) and tight end Will Yeatman (broken finger) would be available against West Virginia. He was hopeful --- but less certain --- tight end Devonte Campbell (knee) would be ready by then.