It wasn’t that he was bad.
It was all about timing.
In 2010, ASU kicker Thomas Weber made 70.8 percent of his attempts.
Good enough for fifth in the Pac-10.
But against No. 11 Wisconsin and USC, Weber missed a field goal and an extra point in each game.
In both games the Sun Devils lost by a single point.
His performances in other weeks were overshadowed for the whole season.
Weber finished his ASU career with a 5-for-5 night against No. 23 UA, but the damage was done.
And the Sun Devils’ new kicker, Alex Garoutte, knows why.
“Success is making the important kicks,” he said. “A kicker can be good on 70 percent of his attempts, make all the right ones, and be a hero.”
Now heading into arguably the most important season in Tempe since 1997, a lot of the mounting pressure rests on the foot of the redshirt freshman.
And Garoutte is okay with that. He knows timing is everything.
“I felt bad for what [Weber] was going through, but it taught me that a lot,” he said. “Of course I want to make every single kick, but not many will remember my first quarter kicks.”
Since arriving on campus a year ago, Garoutte said his biggest strides as a player were made from this spring to fall camp.
He worked with Weber and Baltimore Ravens All-Pro kicker Billy Cundiff over the summer, refining his art.
“Billy lives here in the offseason with his family,” Garoutte said. “I’ve kicked with him for over a year now. It’s helped me out a lot.
“I went out about six days a week and worked my tail off,” he said. “I didn’t want the amount of work I put in to be the reason I’m not successful.”
The early results have been promising.
Garoutte is consistently making field goals over 50 yards in practice.
In fact, he warms up by kicking 57-yarders, albeit with no defenders.
“He’s got a huge leg,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “It’s bigger than Thomas Weber’s was. The biggest thing is I want him to get some confidence early.”
And confidence may not be a problem for Garoutte, given the amount the rest of his teammates already have in him.
“When we are out there throwing, he’s always kicking,” ASU junior quarterback Brock Osweiler said. “I know he has a lot of talent and a great work ethic.”
In four seasons at ASU, Weber’s longest kick was 53 yards.
Garoutte made a 53-yarder in high school for Brophy Prep against the then-No. 3-ranked team in the country, Peoria Centennial.
“ASU, I feel, is different than most schools; everybody appreciates the kicker here,” he said. “They have confidence in me and they believe in me. And that’s good, it makes it easier on myself.”
The return game
Explosive plays defined the 2010 ASU season.
Some good.
Some bad.
Punt and kickoff returns fell on the former side.
The Sun Devils ranked No. 2 in the nation in yards per kickoff return at 27.54, only trailing Central Florida by 0.24 yards.
They returned kicks for touchdowns three times and fell a few inches shy of a fourth in the Wisconsin game.
ASU brings back two of its most exciting returners from a year ago, sophomore Kyle Middlebrooks and junior Jamal Miles.
“We do have some speed,” Erickson said. “I don’t know if they get enough of the credit that they deserve. We have some athletes back there that can make plays.”
Miles will likely handle the majority of the punts while Middlebrooks takes the kickoffs.
“When I’m out there, I get all the excitement,” Middlebrooks said. “All eyes are on you, trying to make a play.”
Punting
There’s another newcomer here.
Replacing Trevor Hankins, who ranked No. 16 in the nation in yards per punt last year, is junior transfer Josh Hubner.
He averaged 40.2 yards a punt at Scottsdale Community College while Hankins booted it 44.6.
Hubner chose ASU over offers from UA, UNLV and Utah State.
He was a Second-Team All-American as a freshman at SCC and should continue to make the punt team a strong point on the roster.
Reach the reporter at tyler.emerick@asu.edu
