NU kicker runs FG streak to 12 / LJWorld.com

Archive for Saturday, September 6, 2008

Associated Press

September 6, 2008

Lincoln, Neb. — When kicker Alex Henery was in his first year at Nebraska in 2006, TV announcers sometimes confused him on the sideline with Adam Carriker.

Hey, they shared jersey No. 90. Henery is but 6-foot-2 and barely 170 pounds; Carriker was a 6-6, 295-pound star defensive end.

"I got a little TV time, I guess," Henery joked on Tuesday.

He is getting plenty of attention on his own merit now. The third-year sophomore has made each of the 12 field goals he's attempted in his career. The streak includes four career-long 44-yarders in the opener against Western Michigan on Saturday.

"I'm just glad I haven't missed yet, and I don't really want to experience it," he said. "I'm just doing what I can, working each day to make sure I don't miss during games. It's a good roll, I guess, to have."

If Henery were going to miss any of those 12 field goals, it would have been his first one against Western Michigan.

T.J. O'Leary's snap was high, and holder Jake Wesch stood up to snag it. Henery hesitated long enough so Wesch could bring the ball down and place it just as Henery's right foot came through.

"That," coach Bo Pelini said, "was extraordinary."

Henery said he didn't get a full appreciation for the difficulty of the kick until he watched it on film.

"I don't think any other holder could have done what he did right there. It was pretty amazing," he said.

Henery is well on his way to continuing Nebraska's recent tradition of producing top specialists. Kris Brown and Josh Brown are among the best kickers in the NFL, and punters Sam Koch and Kyle Larson are earning paychecks.