Syracuse Orange kicker Cole Murphy is coming off a particularly rough day last weekend. While the Orange were able to hold on and defeat UConn 31-24, Murphy went 1-for-3 on field goal attempts, including a 33-yarder he shanked after slipping on the grass. He also had two kickoffs go out of bounds, helping out the Huskies in the field position battle.
Dino Babers didn’t seem overly concerned after the game but Murphy is spending the week working on fixing those issues. According to his chat with Chris Carlson, those issues can be sorted out by reminding himself what it’s like to play Wii Golf.
"Every kicker has things that make them unique," Murphy said. "When you try to force something, it doesn't work. It exaggerates things. If I'm trying to swing hard, and I get a small wrap around the ball. … Have you ever played Wii Golf? You know the bar at the top when you try to swing hard? It's the exact same thing. As you try to swing hard, it gets more wacky. Someone told me that one time, and I said, 'Oh my God, that's perfect.' "
To be fair, Murphy was pretty solid before the UConn game, making six-of-seven field goals. So perhaps this was just a case of one bad game. Still, it was also his first outdoor game and first grass game of the season. With another outdoor contest set for this weekend, Murphy needs to get his head right to avoid another disappointing day.
“The [MetLife Stadium] field is beautiful, I'm not worried about that. I need to prove to myself that I can do it. I know that I can. I'm confident I'll be just fine. I don't think I have anything to worry about."
Just remember the Wii, Cole.