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Much-maligned Alabama kicker Adam Griffith is redeeming himself in a big way
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Watching Florida kick field goals this season has made its fans want to kick buckets.
The Gators’ deficiency at the position, which the team tried to patch up with a pre-dental student, has led to the worst field goal percentage of any FBS team not named Wyoming.
Alabama has had its own adventures splitting the uprights under coach Nick Saban. In fact, his current kicker — Adam Griffith — has been to the depths of misery and back, lugging around stories that include an infamous kick-six and being ranked among the worst kickers in the country just a year ago.
There’s no doubt Griffith can sympathize with Austin Hardin and company. Griffith was ranked 98th out of 100 qualified FBS kickers last season, making just 12 of 19 kicks.
Early this season, the Crimson Tide’s Achilles heel seemed like it would appropriately reside in the redshirt junior’s shaky right leg. He started the season 0-for-4 by missing two field goals in each of Alabama’s first two games against Wisconsin and Middle Tennessee State. Those misfires included a 39-yarder against the Badgers and a chip-shot 24-yarder against the Blue Raiders.
Griffith heard boos after the latter attempt sailed wide left, then received some more after two additional misses were sandwiched by makes against Arkansas in Week 6, a performance you’d expect in capping an up-and-down first half of the season.
The much-maligned kicker would have to gain the Tide’s trust slowly.
He did. And he eventually snatched it in Week 10 against LSU.
With the score tied 10-10 and only 21 seconds left in the first half, Saban had lined his team up to punt it away. However, Saban called a timeout to think it over and Griffith — who had made six straight kicks but none longer than 32 yards — trotted onto the field to kick a mammoth 55-yarder against the Tigers.
Griffith boomed it, and leaned with it mid-flight, as he snuck it inside the left upright for the longest make of his career.
Alabama hasn’t had to think that long before sending Griffith onto the field now. He’s made 14 of his last 15 tries, while coming off a 5-for-5 performance in the 29-13 win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl last Saturday. That made him one of only three FBS kickers to go 5-for-5 or better in a game this season.
Coincidentally, Griffith added another 50-yarder in very similar circumstances against Auburn. The Tide only led 9-6 with just 24 seconds left in the first half, but there was no hesitation this time as Griffith came right onto the field and drilled it from 50 yards away.
On the other side of the field, the Tide will face a Gators unit that’s missed five extra points this season, one shy of 3-8 New Mexico State for the highest total in the nation.
As a kicker, Griffith can take comfort in the fact that he’ll be facing a team that’s just as shaky now as his own team was in the past to put its faith in him.
Likewise, fans in Tuscaloosa can take solace in knowing that whether they do or don’t capture another national championship, it likely won’t have anything to do with a right foot.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
