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Justin Yoon ‘kicks off’ 4-0 start with Notre Dame

September 28, 2015
Notre Dame kicker Justin Yoon, right, celebrates with defensive back Shaun Crawford after scoring a field goal against Texas during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, in South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame won 38-3. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Notre Dame kicker Justin Yoon, right, celebrates with defensive back Shaun Crawford after scoring a field goal against Texas during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, in South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame won 38-3. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

By Brian Han

Notre Dame freshman Justin Yoon established himself as the No. 1 kicker in the country before joining the Fighting Irish who are enjoying a 4-0 record so far in the 2015 NCAA college football season.

It’s not common to see a true freshman start in his first game on the roster, which speaks volumes to a team’s trust in a player’s abilities.

So is the Korean American place kicker living up to his expectations?

After four games, he is still the team’s go-to option at the position, but there is some cause for concern.

In the 38-3 season opener win against the Texas Longhorns, he went 5-for-5 in extra point attempts, while going 1-for-2 in field goal attempts. The lone missed kick came in the third quarter after a 45-yard attempt drifted a bit too far to the left.

The next game against University of Virginia yielded a much closer game (34-27), but with the same outcome.

Yoon was perfect on extra points, but missed another field goal despite hitting two others, which were from 32 and 45 yards away. The miss occurred on a 36-yard attempt that was flared off to the right.

He hasn’t missed a field goal since (1-for-1), but failed to make two extra point attempts over that same period of time. Granted he had a lot of work on his plate with 13 attempts in the last two games.

No. 6 ranked Notre Dame will be playing the No. 12 ranked Clemson Tigers on the road Saturday. What really matters is how Yoon performs in high-leverage situations. The matchup between these two teams just may provide that test.

One Comment

  1. Bob Rodes

    September 28, 2015 at 6:39 PM

    I think Justin will be fine. I suspect he’s been practicing kicks from either hashmark a good deal lately. Also, at least one of the PAT misses was from the snapper sending the ball a little to the left and the holder failing to make the adjustment quickly enough. He has very consistent kick mechanics which remind me of a golfer’s swing.

    His kick has a look of flawlessness about it. Perhaps that flawlessness is a bit of a liability, as it might assume flawlessness on the part of the snap and hold. He might have to learn to adjust his kick mechanics to account for adjustments on less-than-perfect snaps that probably throw off his timing.

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