The Virginian-Pilot

Lauren Luttrell impressed Frank Beamer enough with her kicking skills in a workout last fall that the longtime Virginia Tech coach invited her back for another try this spring.

While Luttrell didn't make the team after Saturday's open tryout for kickers, the freshman from near Fredericksburg remained encouraged by her effort in an attempt to be the first female place-kicker in Virginia Tech history.

The 10-person kicking competition was three rounds of four kicks, with cuts after each. Luttrell made all four of her first kicks from 20 yards, advancing with six others to the second round. The next set of kicks were from the 35. She made three of four, coming up short on one from the left hash.

"They were pretty accurate; I just didn’t have the power," Luttrell said. "So after that round he called out numbers again and I wasn’t called, which was fine, because I was happy with how I did. And I was about to walk off and [Beamer] came up to me and said, ‘Good job. Thanks for coming out.’ He was like, ‘You have the fundamentals. You have the technique. You just need the power.'"

Luttrell might give it another go at a future tryout. She's still relatively new to football, first giving it a shot in high school after an assistant coach on the soccer team saw her strong leg on corner and free kicks and suggested she try kicking field goals. Luttrell, who stands 5-foot-9, brushed it off as a joke, but after some prodding, gave it a try. Her senior year with the Knights in 2010, she made 10 extra points and a 31-yard field goal.

She hadn't given trying out for the college team a thought when she came to Virginia Tech until her boss at Famous Dave's -- a huge Hokies fan -- encouraged her to do so. To appease him, she sent an email to John Ballein, Tech's Director of Football Operations, expecting to get blown off. Instead, Ballein emailed her back telling her to come out for tryouts.

Luttrell was caught off guard somewhat. High schools allow kickers to use a block; colleges don't. She quickly adjusted her kicking style for the tryout, during which she made five of seven, doing well enough to get an invite back in the spring.

In the months in between, she's juggled a job, Bible study and a 17-credit course load to get out and kick two or three times a week with a friend. Their setup is improvised, since there aren't any uprights on campus. She kicked on the Virginia Tech track near Lane Stadium, placing two garbage cans to simulate the width and the marching band directors' stand for the height.

Other times, Luttrell and her brother would use the beat up field and goalposts at old Blacksburg High School. It's tough, she said, to get feedback on technique with no one watching.

Nevertheless, she felt good at the tryout. And welcome.

"They were supportive," Luttrell said. "The coaches were obviously supportive. John and Beamer were like,' OK, guys, let’s go over here.' And then Ballein was like, 'Guys and gals.' That got a little laugh out of them. I mean, I’m sure some of the guys that don’t know me are like, ‘Who is this chick? Who does she think she is?’ But I mean, I don’t really try to think about that kind of stuff. I just try to go out there and do my thing."

Strength was her biggest shortcoming. When she kicked every day in high school, she felt comfortable up to 40 yards. Now, without being able to workout as much, it's closer to 35. But she thinks with some hard work over the summer, she can add enough strength to get back to longer kicks.

After the tryout, she emailed Ballein back, asking for an honest assessment about her chances going forward. Ballein responded quickly, saying he'd speak with Beamer and get back with her.

"I said please be honest with me and tell me if you don’t think that no matter how hard I work if you think I won’t have a chance, don’t be afraid to hurt my feelings or anything," she said. "Just tell me that. And I’ll take it and I’ll be completely fine with it. But right now I still have that little bit of hope. I just need to know if I should keep working or not."

By Brooks Tiffany / Collegiate Times

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Sophomore Michael Branthover is probably one of the few punters in the history of college football to receive a standing ovation after his very first kick.

During the 2011 season, after taking over for the struggling Scott Demler, who was booed after a poor performance during the Clemson game, Branthover made the best of his start at Miami, booting a 52-yarder on his first attempt.

Though he managed to pass up Demler, who had originally won the position at the beginning of the year, Branthover would struggle as well, never quite consistent enough to lock down the position. Unfortunately for both punters, Danny Coale would take over as the most trusted punter on the team by the end of the season. However, with Coale gone, the position is up for grabs and will most certainly fall to Branthover or Demler.

Branthover seems to be the likely candidate to take over the starting role at the punter position this season as he has the stronger leg and the quicker kicking-time, according to head coach Frank Beamer. Branthover managed to punt for an average of 36.6 yards, knocking four for over 50 yards while recording a long of 75 (tied for second longest in school history) and subsequently overshadowing the stats of Demler, who averaged 33.1 yards a punt with a long of 51 (his only over 50).

Look for Branthover to not only take over the punting duties, but the place-kicker duties as well. In light of Cody Journell’s recent escapades, the position is wide open for the taking, and since Branthover was a standout kicker in high school, he has the experience to land the job. If the punting and kicking game of this season is anything like last year’s, nothing is set in stone, and we are in for an entertaining turn of events at what is normally a humdrum position.

With kicker Cody Journell in legal limbo while facing felony breaking-and-entering charges, Virginia Tech is in the market for kickers, according to a blog on the Washington Post.

Journell was originally scheduled to appear in Montgomery County General District Court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing, but that court date has been postponed until May 10 because of a request from one of the two other defendants in the case.

That means there is no chance Journell, who has been indefinitely suspended from the football team until the case is resolved, can be reinstated in time for spring practice this year and his long-term future with the Hokies remains in doubt. He is no longer listed as part of Virginia Tech's football roster on its official Web site, the blog said.

The Hokies made recruiting kickers a high priority. At the end of the 2012 recruiting cycle, Virginia Tech convinced All-Met kicker Hunter Windmuller of Flint Hill High to become a preferred walk-on next season. Hokies assistant Shane Beamer also secured a preferred walk-on commitment from kicker Brooks Abbott, a U.S. Army all-American from Jacksonville, Fla. who played at the same high school as offensive lineman Brent Benedict, a transfer from Georgia.

Without Journell in spring practice, Virginia Tech will likely have former All-Met Michael Branthover and redshirt sophomore Conor Goulding split kicking duties, although neither has ever attempted a field goal in a college game before.

By Ken Bosserman / newsleader.com

FISHERVILLE, Va. - Those who follow Virginia Tech football know the Hokies had quite a time finding a good place-kicker at the end of the season.

The regular kicker got suspended for getting in trouble with the law, and his replacement violated team rules at the Sugar Bowl and was bussed back to Blacksburg. That left the Hokies scrounging around to find someone who could do the job.

Wilson Memorial's Grant Sauer would like to get into the fray next year.

Sauer plans to attend Tech and try to make the team as a walk-on. That's the way most Division I schools find their kickers, since scholarships usually are not given to kickers.

"I like to think I have a shot," the Wilson senior said. "I will put a lot of time into it this spring and summer. It's a huge goal, but I am going to try to get it."

Sauer certainly has the range. He has hit from 58 yards in practice, and he nailed a 43-yarder in a game his sophomore year.

Sauer, who participates in four sports at Wilson, is also a good student. For his accomplishments, he has been selected as the Green Hornets' winter nominee for the City/County Student-Athlete of the Year award, sponsored by Elliott Chevrolet and The News Leader.

Although Sauer participates in basketball, tennis and indoor track, not surprisingly, football is his favorite. Four of his 10 varsity letters will have come in that sport.

"It's easily my favorite," he said. "It's a contact sport, and I like the kicking and punting. I've been playing it since the fourth grade with Wilson Little League."

Although he has played numerous positions in football throughout the years, including quarterback and defensive end this season, he's always been a kicker and punter. He was all-district as a kicker and punter in his junior year, and again this season as a punter.

Last year, Sauer competed in indoor track, running the 55-meter dash and competing in the long jump.

This winter, he is part of the varsity basketball team, where he plays mostly in the post. The sport is not new to him, having participated in it in youth leagues, as well as AAU.

Since his sophomore year, Sauer has played tennis. Last year, he was at No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles.

Although he participates in both individual and team sports, it's the team that he prefers. He gets a touch of both as a kicker.

"You're nobody until you make it," he said.

Sauer excels in the classroom where he holds down a 4.3 grade point average and is currently ranked 18th in a class of 157.

He attends the governor's school, where he takes GIS (Geographic Information Systems), calculus and environmental chemistry, while back at Wilson, courses include AP Government and dual enrollment forestry through Blue Ridge Community College.

That makes for a busy schedule.

"I don't have much time to spare," he said. "Sometimes it's tough to balance."

Extracurricular activities include the National Honor Society and the Math Honor Society. Outside school, he has helped coach midget football in the Augusta County Quarterback Club.

One of the activities of which Sauer is most proud is his senior project through the governor's school. Sauer, fellow Wilson senior Molly Huss and Fort Defiance's Trevor Fisher are working on establishing an endowment fund in honor of Linda Cauley, the retired director of the Shenandoah Valley Governor's School.

"Our goal is to raise $50,000 and right now we are around $35,000," Sauer said. "It's for buying lab equipment, for scholarships and anything the school needs. We've gotten pretty large donations from businesses as well as from parents and alumni."

When Sauer has some spare time, he has taken up skeet shooting. On weekends, he likes to shoot the clay discs. It was his brother who got him interested in it.

"Grant is just a great kid," his basketball coach Rodney Cullen said. "He's a hard worker and has a great attitude.

"He took a year off to concentrate on football, but has really come in and given us an inside force. We can depend on him," Cullen said.

Virginia Tech continued to address its kicking game Friday, adding a commitment from walk-on place-kicker Brooks Abbott. The high school senior tweeted the news on Friday.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder is from The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla.,  the same high school as Hokies offensive lineman Brent Benedict, a Georgia transfer.

Abbott is a two-star recruit, according to Rivals, which doesn't rank kickers.

Abbott, who was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American game, had scholarship offers from Army and Western Kentucky, according to Rivals.

By Randy King / Roanoke Times

First-year starting punter Scott Demler has been given a reprieve by Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer.

Hours after telling reporters at Tech's weekly news conference Tuesday that he was going to continue to explore the situation, Beamer announced on his website that he was sticking with Demler for the 11th-ranked Hokies' clash with No. 13 Clemson on Saturday night at Lane Stadium.

Demler was lifted in the second half of Tech's 30-10 win at Marshall last Saturday after his second punt traveled only 25 yards. It marked the fourth straight game in which the junior has had a punt of 30 yards or less. He is averaging 35.1 yards on 15 punts, which ranks second-worst in the nation.

Senior flanker Danny Coale, who took over the chores in the second half at Marshall, averaged 31 yards on two punts.

Michael Branthover has been impressive in practice, as his boots have outdistanced Demler's. The freshman doesn't get the consistent height that Demler does, Beamer said.

"When he hits it, he hits it good," Beamer said of Branthover. "The only problem with him is sometimes he doesn't get the height, he doesn't get the distance plus he doesn't get the height, and now you've got a low liner, and a low liner is bad in this business because that one usually comes right back at you."

It's a matter of inches.

If he catches the ball off the snap two or three inches too high before dropping it onto his foot, the ball will hang up in the air like he wants, but it won't go far. If he catches the ball just right and drops it from the proper height, it'll fly high and with more outward trajectory — just the way it's supposed to go.

"It has been tough," said Demler, a junior who is averaging just 34.6 yards per punt — 77th in the nation. "It's more frustrating for me knowing what I'm doing wrong. I know exactly what I'm doing wrong."

For now, Tech coach Frank Beamer seems to be content to ride out Demler's issues. Beamer, who personally oversees the kickers and punters, said he's taking a look at other punting candidates like Michael Branthover, Danny Coale, Ethan Keyserling and even kickoff specialist Justin Myer, but Beamer is encouraged by parts of Demler's punting technique.

"(Demler's) strengths when he kicks the ball well, and I've seen him do it a lot, are he gets it about 40 yards with a lot of hang time," said Beamer, whose team travels Saturday to play at Marshall (1-2). "That's just perfect. There's going to be a lot of fair catches. To do that consistently, and get it in the direction we're planning on kicking and those things, that's where we've got to get to. I do believe we will. I met with him on Sunday and I told him, 'If anything, you care too much. You want to get this thing done.' "

Five of Demler's 13 punts have resulted in fair catches by returners. Tech is 104th among 120 Football Bowl Subdivision programs in net punting average (33.8 yards), but that's entirely due to Demler's poor yards per punt average, as opposed to return yards surrendered by Tech.

Only Louisiana State has given up fewer return yards than No. 13 Tech (minus-11 against LSU, minus-9 against Tech), which gives another sign of the kind of hang time Demler is getting.

"My punting specialty is hitting 40-yard, fair caught punts," Demler said. "That's what I do. If you've ever seen me punt, there will be times when I'll hit a (punt with 5.2 to 5.3 seconds of hang time). I don't see many other punters doing that."

The 1959 season was the last time Tech had its primary punter average less per punt over an entire season than what Demler is averaging thus far. In '59, Carroll Dale became the first player in Tech history to earn first team All-America honors. He did it as a wide receiver, but he also handled punting duties.

He didn't make anybody's All-America list for punting that season, averaging just 32.8 yards per punt.

The punter with the lowest per punt average in a full season during Beamer's 25 years as coach was in 2000, when Robert Peaslee averaged 35.3 yards per attempt. Tech punters averaged more than 40.2 yards per attempt in eight of nine seasons prior to the current season.

Demler also may be a victim of Tech's recent success in punting. In four of the last six seasons, Tech has featured a punter that was either first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (Brent Bowden in 2009) or at least finished top three in the ACC in yards per punt average (Brian Saunders, second last season, 44 yards per punt; Bowden, first in '09, 43.8 yards per punt; Nic Schmitt, third in '05 and '06, 43.2 and 42.2 yards per punt, respectively).

"I think maturity and having done it a bunch of times really does make a difference," Beamer said. "(Demler) reminds me of Brian a little bit last year, because early Brian had some shaky kicks, but Brian had been around here a long time, too. Scott has been here a couple years. … He's very dedicated. He was dedicated all this summer. He definitely gets the most height on his punts when he hits it well. That's a good thing."

In Virginia Tech's 30-10 win Saturday at Marshall, Demler followed a 51-yard punt with 25-yarder. Wide receiver Danny Coale, who has been working out at punter since the spring, attempted two punts after Demler's 25-yard effort. Coale had punts of 37 and 25 yards.

"(With) Danny, you know kind of what you've got back there," Beamer said. "He's a guy that's been in a lot of battles. He knows how to operate with the pressure on, so we're going to kick him here for a little while probably."

For the season, Demler is averaging 35.1 yards on 15 punts. Beamer defended Demler after the first three games, stating he thought Demler would get it turned around. After the Marshall game, Beamer said he'd have punters competing for the job starting with Monday's practice.

"It's fun being back there," Coale said, who also had seven catches for 107 yards. "Anything I can do to help, I'll do. Scott is going to be fine, and he's going to keep battling for it. We'll see what happens next week, but I think he's a great punter and he's just as good for the job."

Here's what Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer told the Virginian Pilot about the team's kicker and punter battles this spring:

“I think Cody Journell is going to be our field goal guy. We’ll continue the competition (in the fall). Myer, I’ll say the same thing about him: if he could ever get his consistency, he’d be a great kicker because he’s really got a strong leg and gets the ball up quick. He’s got all the elements but has just never been a real consistent guy. I think that’s how that’s going to turn out.

“punter, I don’t know. Right now, I really don’t know. We talked today. If we stay inconsistent, I’m probably going to go with Danny Coale because he’s the guy you trust and the guy that’s (been) in the game. But we’re going to have to get his steps a little quicker. He gets a third step in there, and we need to get him down to a two-step kicker. Distance and height are good. His fundamentals are a little ragged, but he’s got all summer to work on it. I’m hoping one of these (other) guys will step up. (Ethan) Keyserling hit a couple before practice and boomed them. (Scott) Demler has his moments. (Grant) Bowden has his moments. (Conor) Goulding has his moments. But just a guy who can do it over and over, we haven’t found that this spring.”

Virginian-Pilot report

A redshirt sophomore is the top contender to take over field goal duties for Virginia Tech this fall, according to a report in the Virginian-Pilot.

Cody Journell has been this spring's most consistent kicker, said coach Frank Beamer.

That’s a relief to Journell who, unlike most Tech kickers, has the added pressure of having a scholarship straight out of high school. “I guess the only other guy that’s ever done it is Shayne Graham and he’s where he’s at now (the NFL),” Journell told the newspaper. “So having that is not really a burden, because you’re on scholarship, but it is a little bit of extra pressure. You have to go in thinking it doesn’t matter if you’re on scholarship or not. You’re on the same playing field as everybody else.”