The two-time defending national champion Warhawk football team is 3-0 on its journey towards a three-peat. One of the keys to the team’s success this season has been the production from sophomore kicker Eric Kindler.
Prior to last week’s thrashing of the Campbellsville Tigers, Kindler was 5-6 on field goal attempts, and was a perfect 8-8 on extra point attempts.
On Saturday, Kindler went 2-3 on field goals, making 40 and 45 yard attempts while missing a 50 yarder. He also finished 6-7 in extra point attempts that afternoon, missing on a botched snap and hold.
Kindler’s consistency has him leading the `Hawks in scoring this season with 35 points, and oddly enough has him outscoring the first three teams the `Hawks have played. UW-Whitewater has scored 125 points this season while only allowing 21.
“Things are going pretty good right now,” Kindler said. “Camp was smooth and we feel like we’re in mid-season form right now and hopefully I can keep getting better.”
By last season’s standards, Kindler has already improved dramatically. The `Hawks played the Tigers in the third game of the season last year as well, but Kindler went 0-4 in field goal attempts.
After three games last season, Kindler was 1-5 in field goal attempts and 17-20 in extra point attempts.
After three games this season he is 7-9 in field goal attempts and 14-15 in extra point attempts, and his lone failed PAT conversion was blocked after a botched snap.
Kindler has converted 93 percent of his extra points compared to last season’s 85 percent, and his field goal completion percentage has also shot up to 78 percent from 20 percent.
Head Coach Lance Leipold is thrilled at his kicker’s success in his second year.
“Eric’s done an outstanding job this year,” Leipold said. “He’s going to be a very important part of this team going forward as the games start to get closer.”
Leipold also said that being able to rely on a kicker that has range and consistency, like Kindler, is huge.
“When you get down to the 30 yard-line you start to wonder is it four-down territory, but with Eric we’re always thinking points definitely,” he said. “We struggled last year at this position but now we feel we have solidified it, and we need Eric to continue on this path for us.”
