College kickers are their own punchline, with their own hashtag that is invoked on social media weekly. They are maddeningly mortal and endearingly human, capable of missing many kicks that are routinely made at the NFL level. But college kickers can be heroes, too, and a pair of them rescued their teams’ undefeated seasons within minutes of each other Saturday afternoon.
At 3:12 p.m. ET, Griffin Kell sent a 40-yard field goal into the Waco air and through the uprights at McLane Stadium to lift TCU past Baylor. At 3:33 p.m., Jake Moody lofted a 35-yard field goal into the Ann Arbor air with a ripping wind at his back to save Michigan against Illinois. Under massive pressure, the kids got it done.
“Legend,” Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh said of Moody, who made four field goals on the day and became the school’s career leader in that category. “I’ve been watching Michigan football since I was a kid. Pretty decent historian of Michigan football, and I am nominating him for legendary status.”
