9/5/2019 football Edit

With Pickering questionable, NU has 'decision to make' at kicker

Robin Washut • InsideNebraska

Senior Writer

Robin has been with HuskerOnline since July of 2008, focusing on Nebraska football team coverage as well as being the No. 1 Husker men's basketball team and recruiting writer.

As Nebraska wraps up its preparation for Saturday’s first road game of the season at Colorado, head coach Scott Frost and his staff will still have a rather important decision looming when they arrive in Boulder.

Sophomore kicker Barret Pickering missed last week’s season opener with an injury that special teams coordinator Jovan Dewitt described as “a freak soft tissue thing that I’ve never seen before.”

That left true freshman walk-on Dylan Jorgensen to get the start vs. Alabama, where he made all five of his extra points but missed his only field goal attempt from 31 yards.

While Dewitt said on Tuesday that Pickering would “be fine” for the Colorado game, Frost said his status would likely be a game-time decision. Should Pickering be out again, it sounds like even more decisions might have to be made as to his replacement.

If Barret Pickering is forced to miss a second straight game due to injury, Nebraska will have some big decisions to make at kicker on Saturday. (Tyler Krecklow)

Frost said the Huskers worked out a couple emergency kickers during Thursday’s walk-through practice, with senior punter Isaac Armstrong and sophomore walk-on safety Lane McCallum both getting reps.

“We actually had some of those kicks today to see who else could do it,” Frost said. “We’ve got a decision to make.”

Armstrong was a second-team Super-State selection as a senior place kicker and punter at Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest in 2014, while McCallum spent his freshman season as a kicker at Air Force in 2017 before transferring to walk-on at NU.

McCallum was an All-Nebraska kicker at Norfolk (Neb.) and still holds his school’s career record for points scored (354) after going 120-of-123 on extra points and 20-of-31 on field goals.

For comparison, Jorgensen was a first-team Super-State selection last year for Southwest after going 7-for-11 on field goals and hitting all 29 of his extra points. He also became the first true freshman walk-on to start a game for Nebraska since Andy Janovich in 2012.

While Jorgensen got the nod in Week 1, Frost said it was no guarantee that he would automatically be the starter again if Pickering was unable to play.

“We’ll see,” Frost said. “We’ve got to make a decision.”