Ryan Gaudet always said he would get his starting position back.The opportunity came this weekend against Auburn. But, little didGaudet know his one chance would make such an impact on theTiger’s 10-9 loss.
Gaudet’s missed field goal left him blaming no one buthimself for the remainder of the day.
“I felt horrible the whole night,” Gaudet said.”A lot of people talked to me and tried telling itwasn’t my fault — it’s the team’s fault. Iwanted to believe it but I couldn’t.”
Gaudet said he realizes what people were telling him now, but hestill points out the mistake he made in the one kicking attempt hegot all day.
“I was lacking a different type of focus,” Gaudetsaid. “I wasn’t nervous. I just lost focus in the factit was a gimme shot — no big deal. That’s where Imessed up.”
Coach Nick Saban said he may have to re-think the way he coacheskickers. He said he treated special teams like the rest of hisplayers, but he may need to take a different approach because ofthe different mindset special teams have to possess.
“You get one shot — you have to take it at the righttime,” Saban said. “You have to put all your focus andconcentration into that one kick. Kickers have to be reallydisciplined in the technique they use because they have to do it intheir one shot — they don’t have the next play toredeem themselves like a player who misses a tackle.”
The team said the outcome of the game can not be put onGaudet’s shoulders, and it did not determine the way the gameended.
“You can’t put all the pressure on [kickers] likethat,” offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth said. “Wehave plenty of missed plays too so if you figure that on a one ortwo play basis, some guys wouldn’t grade out too well either.I have confidence in them and they’ll be ready to do theirjob.”
Saban also added that the quarterback situation did not help LSUto move the ball. With all the mistakes the game displayed, he saidhe still has faith in his kickers.
“I have total confidence in Chris Jackson. He is a reallytalented guy and he can kick well,” Saban said. “I havetotal confidence in Gaudet also, he just doesn’t have therange Jackson does.”
The Auburn defeat was not the first game this season thatspecial teams have had trouble, but Saban continues to stayoptimistic.
“I do not lose sleep over any decisions made with specialteams,” Saban said. “They might miss more this seasonand one might determine the outcome of a game, but I haveconfidence in these guys and they are the right players to get thejob done.”