Puting Alex Henery's 57 Yard Kick Into Perspective
8 comments so far
December 1, 2008 by
Alex Henery's 57 yard field goal against Colorado late in the fourth quarter gave the Huskers the lead, set a school record and may have just saved the Husker's season.
Ending the regular season with a loss to a struggling 5-6 Colorado team would certainly have cast a shadow over the otherwise respectable NU season. Instead, Henery booted the longest field goal in NU history and cemented his name in Husker history along side a number of other great Husker kickers.
Setting the Stage
The Huskers and Buffaloes traded scores for most of the game. With less than two minutes remaining and the Buffs leading 31-30, the Husker offense drove to the CU 25 yard line. On 2nd and 10, QB Joe Ganz scrambled and was sacked at the CU 40 yard line. The next play was an incomplete pass to Mike McNeill. That left Pelini facing the choice of going for it on 4th and 25 or attempting a 57 yard field goal.
"I just wanted him (Alex Henery) to look me in the face and tell me he felt he had it in him. He kind of looked at it. Normally his range is around 52 (yards). He looked at me and said, 'I made it in warmups. I've been hitting it good.' And I said, 'All right let's go.' --Coach Pelini
With 1:37 left and the game on the line, Alex Henery found himself standing on the 'N' at the middle of the field preparing for the biggest kick of his career.
"It took forever, first off, because of the TV timeout. It seemed like a year. Going up there, all I remember is hitting the ball. I don't remember much after that. T.J. (O'Leary) had a great snap, Jake (Wesch) had a great hold. They get a lot of the credit too. I don't remember watching it go through at all. I was pretty sure I made it. I hit the ball really well." --Alex Henery
Longest Field Goal in Husker History
At 57 yards, Henery's kick was two yards longer than the previous record holders'.
| Yards | Player, Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 57 | Alex Henery vs. Colorado | Nov. 28, 2008 |
| 55 | Chris Drennan vs. Northern Illinois | Sep. 9 1989 |
| 55 | Billy Todd vs. Kansas | Nov 12, 1977 |
| 55 | Paul Rogers vs. Kansas | Oct. 18, 1969 |
| 54 | Rich Sanger vs. Texas A&M | Sep. 16, 1972 |
| 52 | Kevin Seibel at Colorado | Oct. 25, 1980 |
| 51 | Kris Brown vs. Texas | Dec. 7, 1996 |
| 51 | Paul Rogers vs. Wyoming | Sep. 14, 1968 |
| 50 | Kris Brown at Kansas St. | Oct. 5, 1996 |
| 50 | Chris Drennan at Colorado | Nov 28, 1987 |
| 50 | Dale Klein at Kansas St. | Nov. 2, 1985 |
| 50 | Kevin Seibel vs. Kansas St. | Nov. 8, 1980 |
Henery's kick, while impressive, does not come close to the national record.
The NCAA record of 67 yards is held by Joe Williams of Wichita St (1978), Steve Little of Arkansas (1977) and Russell Erxleben of Texas (1977). Martin Gramatica kicked the longest field goal without the use of a tee - a 65 yard kick for Kansas State in 1998. (All kicks after the 1988 season were without the use of a tee.) In all, there have been 25 field goals of 61 yards or more in NCAA history.
Related
- The greatest of all Husker kicks? Seems so (Journal Star)
- Henery saves the day for Nebraska (Journal Star)
- Henery goes the distance (Omaha World Herald)
- CU kicked out of bowl party (buffzone.com)
A fan's view from the South North Stadium
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tom Dec 02 08
Not like it matters, but the last video looks to me like it's from the North Stadium. Anyway, let's hope he doesn't have to make too many kicks like that again at Nebraska. That kick was so awesome, I'd consider retiring the next day. It don't get much better than that.
Darth Iggy Dec 02 08
That my friends is how you make yourself a Husker Legend. Some get that status by being the man for two or three years which is really great. Others get it by rising to the challenge and being a hero for three seconds. Its the latter in my opinion that make College Football in particular and College athletics in general, great.
Ask Mike Stuntz and Matt Turman and now Alex Henery how that feels.
Jason Dec 02 08
You're right Tom. That should have read "North Stadium." My mistake.
Scott Dec 02 08
It's one thing to kick like that in warmups, but to do it in a game, in that atmosphere, in that situation, national TV audience, bowl game implications......and to be that young and act like you do it every day....that's clutch. That's $$$$$$.
Scott Dec 02 08
I almost forgot one thing...and you just told Bo Freakin Pelini that you would make it. Nuff said.
Cuddlsker Dec 03 08
Perhaps I'm just way too into Husker football, but that video from the fan's perspective sent shivers down my spine and brought tears to my eyes. And I was THERE for crying out loud. What an amazing moment. Unforgettable.
Qualuedtke Dec 03 08
As exciting as that kick was, my elation was tempered by the time on the clock. All I could think was Buffy working down the field and playing the spoiler with a field goal of their own as time expired. With our past few years of the breaks seeming to go against us, their kicker would probably set a PR also with that kick. So......when Suh caught the deflection and buried the coaches boy into the turf, our household set a new PR for decibel level! May have to fix a few shingles on the roof. GBR!!!!!!
Haley Jun 30 09
Husker NATION... Ya just don't get that anywhere else.