Oklahoma kicker Garrett Hartley was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award last season after leading the NCAA and setting the OU school record for field goal accuracy, making 95 percent (19 of 20) of his tries. This season hasn't been so smooth. Here's how Hartley's numbers stack up to a year ago after six games:
That's why the Oklahoma coach sent senior Garrett Hartley onto the field for a 38-yard try in the final minute against Texas on Saturday. Despite the negative possibilities — what if Texas blocked the kick and returned it for a tying touchdown? — Stoops felt Hartley would make it.
He missed it and now Hartley's senior season is starting to show signs of a slump. He has missed two of six field goal tries, both inside 40 yards. He has missed three extra points, more than he missed in his first three seasons combined.
On Saturday, his kickoff distance suffered as well. He averaged 58.2 yards on five kicks, nearly 10 yards below his season average of 67.8.
So what's wrong with Hartley?
"He's fine physically,” Stoops said. "Hopefully he'll hit it better.”
As a junior, Hartley's accuracy was stellar. He finished as one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, missing just one field goal, a 44-yard attempt that was blocked at Oregon. He also missed an extra point at Oklahoma State.
"He's a smart guy and we've got a lot of confidence in him,” Stoops said. "He's hit too many good ones for such a long period of time. I'm confident he'll be fine.”
Hartley's confidence remains strong, too. The coaches wanted to focus more on hang time than distance for kickoffs against Texas, which resulted in shorter kicks. And the missed field goal — like his previous miss at Tulsa — was just an issue of timing.
"I rushed myself on the field goal and that's why I ended up pulling it wide left,” he said. "There's no excuses for that. It's inside 40 yards, and that kick needs to be made.”
Health is not an issue, Hartley says. This week, he spent extra time after practice taping his kicking motion to get a closer look at the intricacies of his technique.
"I strive to be perfect and whenever I'm not, I take that,” he said. "But at the same time, I'm not gonna be down on myself for too long. I have to keep going and keep making the kicks that are ahead of me.”
