What does OU football's depth at kicker look like? Zach Schmit still Sooners' best option
NORMAN — Mark Jones summed it up with one word.
"Wow."
That's what the ESPN broadcaster had to say during the fourth quarter of OU's 31-24 road win over BYU this past Saturday when Zach Schmit missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt.
The redshirt junior kicker's misfire came at an inopportune time for the Sooners, who hoped to break a tie with 12:25 left in the contest.
"He missed it," Jones added. "A squandered opportunity."
It's not the first opportunity Schmit has squandered for OU, which concludes its regular season with a home game against TCU at 11 a.m. Friday.
The former Bishop McGuinness standout has connected on 12 of 18 field-goal attempts this season, giving him a success rate of 66.7%. It's the worst percentage by an OU kicker since Jimmy Stevens went 8 for 12 (66.7%) in 2008.
More: OU football coach Brent Venables expects Dillon Gabriel, Jalil Farooq to play vs. TCU
Head coach Brent Venables acknowledged Schmit's struggles during a weekly press conference on Monday. But he also suggested that Schmit is unlikely to lose his starting spot.
“We've got to get a little better with our confidence and our fundamentals at kicking," Venables said. "We’ve been too inconsistent there. Right now, we kick multiple guys in practice. And Zach’s been our most consistent."
Schmit's miss against BYU marked his first miss this season between 20-29 yards. He's 7 for 8 in that department.
But it's the longer ranges that have caused problems for Schmit. He's 5 for 10 on field-goal attempts between 31-39 yards, 1 for 3 on tries between 40-49 yards and 0 for 1 on his lone attempt from over 50 yards.
Schmit's inconsistency is a hot-button issue among OU fans, who voice their frustration on social media after every miss. And while Schmit also went 12 for 18 on field goal attempts last season, it's the poor timing of his misses this season that has added fuel to the fire.
Schmit missed a 45-yard field-goal attempt with 7:55 remaining in OU's 34-30 win over Texas on Oct. 7. It came during a time when the Sooners hoped to extend their lead to two possessions.
Schmit then missed a pair of field goals from 38 and 43 yards out during OU's 31-29 win over UCF on Oct. 21. They would've given the Sooners some added insurance in the nail-biting victory.
More: What does Gavin Sawchuk's surge mean for OU football? 'Couldn’t come at a better time'
Then came Schmit's missed chip shot against BYU, which is the latest in a series of untimely blunders.
"Just like at quarterback, if the quarterback’s lacking accuracy, it’s got to get better," Venables said. "You got to throw it on time. Sometimes it’s an instinctual thing for quarterbacks. Sometimes it’s a mechanics thing. We've just got to get better (at kicking).”
Fortunately for Schmit, none of his previously-mentioned misses have cost OU a game.
That's likely one reason why he remains a starter, and another is the Sooners' lack of depth at kicker. Their two backup kickers are redshirt freshman Gavin Marshall and redshirt sophomore Redi Mustafaraj.
Marshall has yet to attempt a field goal at the college level. Mustafaraj went 4 for 8 in 2021 while at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, which is a junior college program.
That leaves Schmit, who'll look to find his rhythm as the Sooners close out their regular season.
OU football bowl projections 2023: Who are the Sooners likely to face?
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football kicker Zach Schmit continues to struggle for Sooners
