Nick Saban reveals message to Will Reichard after missed field goals

Last week, Will Reichard did something he hasn’t done all year. He missed a field goal as two went wide during Alabama’s win over LSU — the first of which featured an announcer jinx from CBS’ Brad Nessler.

Since arriving in Tuscaloosa, Reichard has only missed 15 field goals out of 92 attempts. When that happens, he has to bounce back and make the proper adjustments.

That advice doesn’t come from Nick Saban, though.

“What I’ve learned through the years is most of these guys, they really don’t look to a coach,” Saban said Thursday on Hey Coach and The Nick Saban Show. “They kind of know. Will Reichard really knows when he hits it well. He missed them both just to the right, and his ball usually just hooks a little bit. Just a little bit. And neither one of them did, and he just missed both of them by probably that much. The first one he hit really good. The second one, not so good.”

Saban played defensive back at Kent State and his background is in coaching the defense. As such, he tries not to wade too far into the mentality of a kicker. Although he has some words of encouragement if Reichard misses a kick, he knows not to say too much to get in his head.

That’s why his message is simple.

“He just tells you how it went, and I just pat him on the butt and say, ‘Don’t worry about it. Make the next one,'” Saban said. “Because they technically know exactly.”

The mind of a kicker is an interesting one. Not only do they have to prepare for the snap, hold and kick, but they have to avoid thinking too much about a miss as they adjust.

Saban compared it to another sport — one he knows well — to make that point.

“I mean, it’s almost like a golfer,” Saban said. “You kind of technically know when you’re hitting it right or when you’re taking it too far inside or not turning enough or whatever it is, and you can fix yourself. I think when we start telling guys like Will Reichard how to do what he does, it probably can mess them up more than it can help them.”

Reichard, Alabama’s all-time scoring leader, is now 15-for-17 on field goals this year and a perfect 31-for-31 on extra points. He’ll try to build on those numbers this week when the Crimson Tide take on Kentucky on Saturday.