HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Here are the competition winners from the Ray Guy Prokicker.com winter camp in Hattiesburg.

-Long distance field goal winner:  Zak McDaniel, 50 yards
-Long distance field goal winner, middle school:  Mason McKey
-Long distance kickoff winner:  Logan Gunn:  67 yards, 3.84 sec
-Hang time punt winner:  Cliff Hurst, 47yds, 4.62 sec
-Out of bounds punt right:  Jim Speights, 1 yd
-Out of bounds punt left:  Alex Prince, 8 yd
-Fastest single snap:  Matthew Emrich, .81 sec
-Most accurate snapper:  Tyler Morris, 16 out of 30
Talent search:
Logan Gunn, k, 2012
Cliff Hurst, P, 2012
Dylan Scheurich, K 2014
Matthew Emrich, K, 2012
Andrew Ashe, LS, 2014
Matthew Emrich, LS, 2012

By Eddy Elfenbein / Crossing Wall Street blog

Remember when NFL kickers used to miss?

Well, they still miss of course, but kickers miss a lot less than they used to. Nowadays, a field goal attempt from anywhere less than 40 yards out is assumed to be automatic. But it wasn’t always so.

We’re nearly halfway through the season and kickers have made a stunning 85.9% of their field goal attempts. In just ten years, kickers have increased their accuracy by nearly 10%.

Not only that, but they’re kicking longer as well. So far this season, kickers have made 78% of their attempts between 40 and 49 yards. That’s better than the NBA’s league-wide accuracy from the free throw line (76.3%).

And the numbers from attempts over 50 yards out are even more impressive. This season, kickers have nailed 45 of their 63 attempts from 50 yards or more. That’s more accurate than the league was from any distance 25 years ago. Since 1994, long-range accuracy has doubled and long-range attempts-per-game are up by more than 63% from just five years ago.

Improved kicking is rapidly changing football strategy. In fact, this season is on track to be the highest-scoring season since the AFL-NFL merger, and kickers deserve a lot of the credit. Touchdowns-per-game are nearly identical to where they were 30 years ago, but field goals-per-game are up by 45%.

This high-octane accuracy is completely new to football. In 1974, the first year when the uprights were placed at the back of the end zone, kickers made just four of 30 field goals from 50 or more yards. Jan Stenerud, the only pure placekicker in the Hall of Fame, made 66.8% of his career field goal attempts. Today that’s good enough for 105th place in career accuracy. Nearly every player in the top 30 for career accuracy is currently active.

It’s not just field goals, either. NFL kickers have only missed two of their 546 extra-point attempts this year. That’s a success rate of 99.63% which would also be a league record. Think about this: There will probably be one-tenth as many missed extra-points this year as there were 25 years ago.

Can it really be called a sport when a play is more accurate than the purity of Ivory Soap? I don’t think so. Perhaps it’s time to narrow the goal posts from 18 feet 6 inches to 15 feet.

A. Stacy Long / Montgomery Advertiser

Opelika's Will Black, after helping the Bulldogs beat nationally ranked Prattville, won the Alabama Sports Writers Association defense/special teams player of the week award.

Black kicked three field goals, including a 25-yarder with nine seconds to play, in the Bulldogs' 16-14 upset of the Lions. Prattville was ranked third in Class 6A by the ASWA and seventh nationally by USA Today.

Pinson Valley running back Lorenzo Gray, after scoring six touchdowns in a 55-27 win over Springville, was the top offensive player. He ran eight times for 309 yards and four touchdowns and caught five passes for 189 yards and two scores.

By Donnie Collins / Times Tribune

Last season, Penn State kicker Collin Wagner was one of the steadiest in the Big Ten.

All season, he missed just five of his 25 field goal attempts, and if his worth wasn't fully appreciated by the Nittany Lions then, it certainly is now.

Three games into the 2011 season, Penn State's kickers have already missed as many field goals as Wagner did throughout 2010.

As Penn State's kicking game has fallen into a tailspin this month, solutions to what has become a folly film of a performance from kickers Evan Lewis and Sam Ficken, as well as punter Anthony Fera, are few.

"I'm very concerned about the kicking game, obviously," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "Our kicking game needs to get better, and we're working on it. Hopefully we can improve. But the proof is in the pudding."

The proof that Penn State's kicking game is in shambles is rather overwhelming, too.

A former receiver who won the starting job this season in just his first full year as a kicker, Lewis has performed poorly. He has attempted five field goals this season and missed all but one of them, including a 36-yarder in the fourth quarter against Temple that would have tied the game.

Ficken, a strong-legged true freshman, had a chance to boot a 49-yarder to end the first half against the Owls, but his low line drive was swatted to the turf by Owls lineman Shahid Paulhill.

In fairness, it was a long kick, and it was Ficken's first career field goal attempt. But it also would have tied the game.

Now, factor in Temple's blocked punt in the third quarter against Fera, who was so slow getting the punt off that Paterno commented he must have been inspecting the ball to make sure it was a football, which gave the Owls the ball at the Penn State 39 with a chance to go up 17-7.

Clearly, the Lions kicking game did more to lose the game than to win it.

Part of the problem, Paterno said, is that the top two kickers on his depth chart had never kicked at the college level before this season.

Nerves might be playing a role, he said.

"Sometimes you've got to expect some of that," Paterno said. "But having a blocked punt? That was just absolute carelessness on the part of one person who just had not had any problems prior to that. I think he just got a little bit nonchalant about it and hadn't been hurt, and that kid came up and blocked it."

It's not as if Penn State doesn't have enough talent at the position.

Ficken was a two-star recruit coming out of Valparaiso High School in Indiana, and when he was recruited in 2009 as a kicker, Fera was the No. 2-ranked kicker in the nation by Rivals.com.

All three of Penn State's kickers are on scholarship - including Lewis, a former walk-on who defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said is one of the most fierce competitors on the team.

But the projections and the competition haven't produced results, and for the Nittany Lions who are struggling to find the end zone, that has led to some frustration with the amount of points being left aside.

"It's definitely tough," quarterback Matt McGloin said. "But at the same time, we're working with two kickers. I'm not worried one bit.

Evan Lewis and Sam Ficken are going to bust their butts to get better."

It blew up and didn’t work as Notre Dame pressed on to a 31-13 win Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.

“My call,” Dantonio said. “Didn’t work. Three points. I don’t think that’s where we lost the game, but I will take the blame for that thing.”

Holder Brad Sonntag took the snap and attempted a shovel pass to tailback Le’Veon Bell. It fell incomplete as the Notre Dame line had strong penetration, and Ethan Johnson, a 300-pound senior defensive end, knocked the ball down.

The Spartans trailed 21-10 with less than a minute remaining when they lined up to take what appeared to be a 19-yard field-goal attempt on fourth down at the Notre Dame 2-yard line.

It appeared Michigan State, which got the ball to start the second half, would settle for the field goal to trail by eight points at halftime.

“They got some push right there on the wing side and they got some penetration, knocked the tight end back, knocked the guard back, and because of that, it didn’t go,” Dantonio said. “He (Bell) could not get around. Had he gotten around, it looked like he could have walked in. But he didn’t get around, so end of story.”

Bell said it was the penetration by the Notre Dame defensive line that wrecked the play.

“The pass was delivered on time, I just got knocked off my path,” he said. “They played a good game, special teams and everything.”

Bell said Notre Dame was calling out fakes the whole game.

“I felt like if I got the ball, it would have been open on the other side,” he said. “Everyone was ready for the fake. They caught on early. They were calling fakes the whole game. They caught on every time.”

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said just before the play his players were reminded to be gap-conscious and do their jobs.

“And we just did our job on that,” he said. “And obviously, we were able to come up with a big play.”

By Trey Williams / Johnson City News

MORRISTOWN — Science Hill will be kicking itself over its loss at Morristown West on Friday.

The Hilltoppers gave up a safety when their opening-series punt was blocked out of the end zone, missed a PAT off the right upright that would’ve put them ahead 20-19 with 10:55 left in the game and watched West’s Jose Rico make his second field goal of the night on the game’s final play for a 22-19 Trojans victory.

Rico’s game-winner, a 27-yarder, came after Science Hill had called three straight timeouts in an attempt to freeze him. Rico also made a 46-yarder to give West a 19-6 lead with 1:43 left in the first half.

“Jose is a great kicker,” Morristown West coach Lamar Brown said. “Those were his first two field goals this season. He’d been in a slump. He was 0-for-5 coming in.”

West’s game-winning drive began at Science Hill’s 43-yard line after a diving interception by Jarek Berry with 2:42 left.

Berry also batted down a pass on a 4th-and-1 play-action pass at the Morristown West 30 with 61⁄2 minutes remaining and the score tied at 19, and gave the Trojans a 9-0 lead with a 1-yard TD run with nine minutes left in the first quarter.

“He had a heck of a night tonight,” Brown said. “He had two game-changing plays.”

The Hilltoppers, who fell to 2-2 on the season, outgained the Trojans (4-0), 446 to 294. West got 77 of its yards essentially after the catch on Jerimia Gregg’s 77-yard TD reception from Andrew Lee, which gave the Trojans a 16-3 lead with 1:51 left in the first quarter.

Science Hill outgained West 307-98 in the second half.

“We had our hurry-up thing going,” Science Hill coach Stacy Carter said. “I mean we had them. They were tired. They were given out. … The safety, the extra point — we know what beat us.”

The blocked punt came when Justin Sammons broke clean through the interior of the line and batted the ball from around the 15-yard line backward through the end zone after Science Hill opened the game with a three-and-out.

PATs have been an adventure all season for the Hilltoppers, often due to protection issues. kicker Perry Murdaugh did make a 20- and 30-yard field goal Friday, and 1 of 2 PATs.

“We kicked a couple of field goals and did some good things on special teams,” Carter said. “But they bit us. … We’ve got a good football team; we’ve just got to straighten out some stuff. I just hate to let that one go. I guarantee you we won total offense — killed them, probably.”

Science Hill also turned the ball over with 71⁄2 minutes in the third quarter when it mishandled a shotgun/jet sweep exchange on 1st-and-goal from the 6.

That looked like the play that would break the Hilltoppers’ will, but it seemed to somehow motivate them. Hilltoppers quarterback Justin Snyder was 22-of-34 passing for 265 yards. He also rushed 14 times for 105 yards.

He connected with Aaron Greene seven times for 115 yards, including a 37-yard catch to the Morristown West on 3rd-and-12 on the first play of the fourth quarter. One play later, Jahmar Adams’ 17-yard reception advanced the ball to the West 2, and Adams scored on the following play to make the score 19-19. That’s when the PAT hit high off the right upright.

Jamal Stephens’ 1-yard run and Murdaugh’s PAT got Science Hill within 19-13 with 2:06 left in the third quarter. Greene had a 25-yard catch to the Hilltoppers’ 45 on 3rd-and-11 to begin that drive.

Science Hill’s defense was impressive, particularly in the second half. Tackles for loss or minimal gains came frequently from the likes of Bryson DeJesus, Grant Janeway, Isaiah Stephens and Tate Isbell. O’Ryen Scott led the ’Toppers with 10 tackles and recovered a fumble.

“They played their butts off,” Carter said. “I’m proud of the kids. They deserved to win that game. …

“There ain’t no moral victory, but I mean how can you be mad at kids who played their butt off like that — even with the mistakes we made. They fought. And we had it. We just didn’t finish.”

Todd Page-Gilmore had three catches for 50 yards. Adams and Will Craig had three catches apiece, too.

Tyler Brooks rushed 16 times for 122 yards for West. Lee was 5-of-18 passing for 115 yards. Lee, who will play baseball at Tennessee, also punted seven times for a 45.7-yard average.

Austin Greene had 21 tackles for the Trojans.

MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State had a record-breaking start to its college season on Thursday in a 67-0 victory over Kentucky Christian University.

Junior kicker Rainer Duzan set the school record for career field goals made during the Eagles’ season opener. He knocked in his 20^th career three-pointer with a 48-yard boot that came with only eight seconds left in the first half. Duzan split the uprights to give Morehead State a 41-0 halftime lead. The Eagles broke four school records on the night.

“It’s been a big goal of mine since freshman year to break records here,” said Duzan, who also set the mark for most points scored by a kicker in a game at MSU. Duzan’s 19 points against KCU set an MSU and Pioneer Football League record. He had field goals of 26 and 33 yards as well and punted twice for a 39.5 average.

Duzan, a First-Team All-PFL selection last season, has been named on the College Football Performance Awards Preseason Placekicker Watch List.

BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - Competition results from the Ray Guy Prokicker.com camp in the Kansas City area last weekend.

Long Distance Field Goal High School: Alejandro Dominguez, 50 yards

Long Distance Field Goal Middle School: Jesse Barnes, 42 yards

Long Distance Kickoff: Michael Mesh, 67 yards

Hang Time Punt: Cameron Owens, 4.2

Out of Bounds Punt: Josh Wondra

Fastest Single Snap: Wilson Alexander, .80

Most Accurate Snapper: Kendall Schmitt, 13 of 30

TOP PROSPECTS

Wilson Alexander, long-snapper, 2012

Ryan Ahlgren, kicker, 2013

A.J. Brown, kicker, 2012

Lucas Guifoil, kicker, 2012

Michael Mesh, kicker, 2013

SEATTLE - Competition results from the Ray Guy Prokicker.com camp in the Seattle area.

Long Distance Field Goal HS: Chavo Camargo, 45 yards

Long Distance Kickoff: Trevor Merritt, 68 yards

Hang Time Punt: Nathan Suyematsu, 4.51

Out of Bounds Punt Right: Tyler Gilmore

Out of Bounds Punt Left: Matt Longnecker

Fastest Single Snap: Wesley Rosotomily, 0.78

Most Accurate Snapper: Wesley Rostomily, 15 of 30

TOP PROSPECTS

Wesley Rosotomily, long-snapper, 2013

By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Adam McFain has the accuracy and he had the distance at the Ray Guy Prokicker.com camp’s longest field goal competition on Sunday.

McFain (class of 2012) boomed a 50-yard field goal with the pressure on.

“I was the last one to kick,” he said. “They backed me up five more yards (after hitting from 50) and it came up a wee bit short.”

As a junior at Greenwood High School in Greenwood, Ark., he was 68 of 69 on extra points and 12 of 15 on field goals. His longest field goal in prep play was 43 yards. He had connected on 63 consecutive extra points, two shy of the school record.

Prokicker.com staffer Nick Pollard said there were some areas where Fain could use some work but his leg speed and power were good.

Fain’s field goals were high-arching balls, Pollard said. “I’ve never seen a ball go that high. His ball looks like a kickoff in the air. On a day like today when it’s windy if it gets up there the wind could just take it.”

Pollard stressed to McFain the need to drive through the ball a little better. “If he does that, he could easily hit 55 (yards),” Pollard said. “He hit 90 percent of his field goals, which was great.”

Fain’s worth ethic will continue to make him a strong prospect, Pollard said.

The camp was a good learning experience, said Fain.

“I learned a lot of stuff I didn’t know,” he said. “Most of what I learned came from a kicker at our school who graduated two years ago. I’m pretty much left on my own.”

McFain has been a lifelong soccer player but he’ll take home the drills he learned at the Prokicker.com to potentially become a college kicker.