Nolan Hauser, Clemson
Prior to his winning kick in the ACC Championship Game, Hauser was 2-for-5 on field goal attempts from 40-plus. When offensive line coach Matt Luke asked Dabo Swinney if Hauser had the leg to make a 56-yarder, Swinney’s response was, “We’re about to find out.”
The Tigers learned that no moment is too big for their freshman kicker, and that’s a good thing to know heading into the CFP. Still, Hauser’s track record isn’t as long as those of other kickers in the field. He’s 17-for-23 this season, and most of those makes were from inside 35 yards. If Clemson’s season comes down to another kick from Hauser, at least people will know his name.
Bert Auburn, Texas
Bert Auburn has some of the best hair in the CFP. He’s also the kicker most likely to double as a hardboiled private investigator in a crime noir. But is he the kicker you’d trust with the game on the line? After making more than 80 percent of his field goals the previous two seasons, Auburn is 14-for-21 as a senior, including two misses in an overtime loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.
Auburn also made four field goals in that game, so maybe he wasn’t the biggest problem. Settling for six field goals isn’t a recipe for the Longhorns to go deep in the CFP. But if Texas needs a clutch kick to extend its season … that sounds like a job for Bert Auburn, P.I.
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GO FURTHER
Which College Football Playoff teams can trust their kickers in the clutch?
