How to kick a record field goal

HITTING THE SWEET SPOT

If Alex Henery had been just one centimeter off on that chilly, late-November night Cornhusker fans would look back on the 2008 season much differently. No nine wins, no Gator Bowl victory. But Henery hit what he called his "sweet spot" by connecting the bone on top of his foot with a small area just above the center of the lower white stripe on the football.

Henery said he ran up to the ball at a low angle and pointed his foot down during the wind-up.

He said he almost needed to drag his kicking foot on the ground to ensure that he would get the proper lift from his perfect spot.

"If you're just a centimeter off," Henery said, "things can really go wrong."

Henery said that he needed to hit this exact spot in order to get the kind of power and lift necessary for launching a ball 57 yards downfield.

The 157-pound junior isn't exactly the apotheosis of power, but said his technique allowed him to kick what turned out to be the longest field goal in the history of Memorial

Stadium.

THE RIGHT APPROACH

After Nebraska's 40-31 win over Colorado that night, Henery acted like his 57-yard boot was just like any other kick.

"It was a good kick, I guess," Henery said.

So, it should come as no surprise that he tried to approach the kick like it was any other beforehand.

Henery said a key to the kick was that he used the same routine approach to the ball as he usually would. He put more power into his kick than usual but did not change the mechanics of his swing so as to ensure the kick would be accurate.

It would have been easy for Henery to overcompensate because of the distance, but he trusted his training.

"You still have to stay in your smooth rhythm or else you're not going to hit the ball straight," Henery said.

MIND GAMES

NU coach Bo Pelini got a "kick" out of Henery's reaction when he asked his kicker if he had it in him that night. Nebraska was down four points with just over eight minutes remaining in the game and staring at a fourth-and-25 when Henery said, "I've been hitting it pretty good today, coach."

Henery was cool under pressure in a nearly impossible situation. He said he hadn't even made a kick that far during pre-game warm-ups. But in front of more than 80,000 fans and a national television audience, Henery came through with the game on the line.

To make the kick even more impressive, Henery was "iced" by a television timeout before

he lined up for the historic kick.

"It seemed like a year," Henery said. "Going up there, all I remember is hitting the ball. I don't remember much after that."

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Before Henery's kick finagled its way over the goalposts, he had to get it over the Colorado defensive line first. It happens all the time in college football: A kicker lines up for a big field goal, only to have it swatted away by the defense.

Henery said he generally tries to pooch his kicks high into the air on shorter attempts to neutralize any block attempts. He didn't have that luxury this night.

Henery said he had to take a little height off the ball and kick it a little flatter than usual to hit such a long field goal. However, Henery prides himself on his ability to avoid blocks.

"That's one of my things is that I get under the ball a lot more, so it takes off a lot sharper than a lot of kids do," Henery said.

Henery said he approaches the ball at such a leaned, almost sideways angle because it helps him get better lift on the ball.