Kickers have long held the reputation as football's idiosyncratic head cases. Tennessee place kicker Daniel Lincoln, though, is a decidedly different breed.
Only a few moments after Lincoln's potential game-tying field goal from 34 yards sailed wide of the left upright in a 27-24 overtime loss to UCLA last Monday - the first time a game has ended on a missed field goal by Lincoln - the sophomore and his head coach said that miss wasn't going to be hashed out on some shrink's couch.
"I'm not that guy," Lincoln said after the game. "I'm definitely not that guy. I'm not going to need a psychiatrist. I know what I need to do. I know what my job is. I've got perspective. In my life, football is a game. I'm not trying to downplay the seriousness of what my job is and how big we are to the state of Tennessee. I'm just saying that I know the sun comes up tomorrow."
Yet even before Lincoln's night ended last week in California, he was moving on. Back at Tennessee's hotel in Pasadena, he was talking to roommate and holder Bram Cannon about his next opportunity.
"The first thing he said to me when we got back in the room was he was ready for next week," Cannon said. "He talked about how he wanted to come out here and kick in a game again. He felt more bad for the team than himself, which is awesome. He's a great team player like that."
And, despite three misses at UCLA, he's still a pretty good kicker.
As a redshirt freshman in 2007, Lincoln earned All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America and second-team All-SEC after hitting 21 of his 29 attempts. His 8-for-8 start last fall was the best debut in Tennessee history.
He's delivered under pressure, too.
After the Vols squandered a lead against South Carolina, he drilled a 48-yarder to send the game into overtime. He hit a 33-yarder against Vanderbilt that proved to be the game-winner, and he connected on a 47-yard field goal as time expired against the Bruins on Monday night to force overtime.
After watching film of that errant 34-yard attempt to tie the game, Lincoln said his mechanics were fine.
"I kicked the ball right where I was aiming," he said Sunday night. "It wasn't a kicking mistake. It was an aiming mistake. Like I said, it's corrected. It's over."
UT coach Phillip Fulmer, who said after the UCLA game that Lincoln isn't "one of those typical guys you have to go get a psychiatrist for or anything," said that Lincoln's two previous misses against the Bruins weren't a big deal.
In the first half, Lincoln missed a pair of tries from 51 and 55 yards that would have been career longs, and the 55-yarder was the longest attempt of his career.
"I'd like for him to think he's going to make them all, but he's not from that distance," Fulmer said. "Not many people are. One reason that I decided to (try the long field goals), I thought he would handle it and our defense was playing real well. It didn't end up hurting us, either one of them."
The 34-yard miss, however, both Fulmer and Lincoln said should have been made.
"He needs to make that kick to keep the game going," Fulmer said. "But he's handled it fine. You can put the kickers and the quarterbacks and the guys that have individual things that need to happen, they need to come through. He didn't, and he'll respond well."
Cannon isn't worried, either.
"I learned a lot from him this week," he said. "It takes a special guy to come out here and fight the way he has. He's mentally tough. You don't find that a lot in kickers."
Lincoln, though, doesn't know any other way to approach it. He credits his family and coaches for helping him become mentally tough, as well as his tendency to be his harshest critic.
"When I lay my head down in bed after I pray and I think about the day that I just lived, I think about the day that I'm going to get up and live the next day," Lincoln said Sunday. "It's not about letting the things that happened to you in the past eat you up. It's about learning from them, coming back, not taking a thing for granted and being mentally tough in that respect."
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Comments » 83
huntined#565710 writes:
Just kick the ball!!
surfmaster writes:
"I kicked the ball right where I was aiming," he said Sunday night. "It wasn't a kicking mistake. It was an aiming mistake."
Next time, try aiming between the big yellow pole looking things sticking up out of the ground.
BTW, first.
surfmaster writes:
Doh! Missed it - by - that much.
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
3 misses at UCLa, 2 against LSU, 1 against Wisconsin....maybe Foolmore needs to yell at him some more or perhaps quit making him attempt 50+ yard FGs when he gets off the bus.
Volunteerfan writes:
Sorry, I am having a tough time blaming this kid for this game because with four picks in the first half, it should not have came down to a game tying kick in overtime. This game should have been out of reach by the end of the third quarter
govols22231 writes:
i agree with volunteer fan, put this on the offense, but he did miss 3 of them so you cant keep him out of the pic
VOLINSC writes:
Sounds liek a kid with some fight. He will be back and will win some big SEC games for UT this season.
Go Vols! Tennessee is still unbeaten in the SEC this year.
xvolx writes:
you could do a bloopers show with that game.
yabadabadoo1026 writes:
what difference does it make if its a kicking mistake or an aiming mistake--its a miss. I dont fault him for missing 50+ yd attempts--thats a bonus when you hit them. Forget the fact that PF settles for the OT F/G attempt to tie rather being a man and trying to move the chains closer if not in but we could have lined him up better on that kick had whoever when down been thinking
BillVol writes:
I once thought he'd be our best kicker ever. But not anymore. He actually may go down as one of our worst ever.
MrBamSeydu writes:
If he'd made the short FG, we win.
If he'd made 1 of the long ones, we win.
He was only in the game for 7 plays, yet he was as huge in the loss as Arian Foster's fumble or the horribly called non-safety. If Lincoln can't make deep kicks, go for it on 4th down or punt them deep. That was just unexcusable kicking.
newtonrail writes:
Yaba says Phillip isn't a Man, and BillVol says Lincoln has gone from best kicker to worst in one game of his Soph. season. Give me a break.
hdhurst writes:
You guys coming down on Lincoln are Sorry a**es. Take away the (2) 50+ yard fg attempts and he was 1 of 2. Yes, he should have made the 34-yarder, but was this not the same man that put away a FL game for us? Was this not the same man who kicked a 47-yard fg that even put us in position to go to OT. I'm sorry, but whoever is knocking Lincoln is TOTALLY missing the mark. Like Volunteerfan suggested, several other miscues cost us this game well before his missed kick. Mr. Lincoln, I applaud your attitude for moving forward and keeping positive about your role with winning the games ahead...just wish that other vols "fans" would take that same attitude. GO VOLS!!
BillVol writes:
It's taken more than one game for me to form this opinion, newtonrail. Lincoln is just not an accurate kicker. I'm not sure that he ever will be. However, I don't think anybody is blaming him for this loss.
TrueVolFan writes:
hdhurst, I believe Wilhoit kicked that one against Florida. Seeing how Lincoln is a Sophmore and we've lost the last three to UF, it would be pretty tough for him to have made that kick. Although I do agree with you that ordinarily he is a pretty good kicker and folks should lay off a little.
hdhurst writes:
TrueVolFan: Right you are...bleeding the images of rookie kickers together. Thanks for the correction. In all, though, as a sophmore, he has too much good performance in the last year to give him heck for this loss.
firefulmer (Inactive) writes:
Why don't he just tell us that he was scared and choked. Fulmer and the rest of the pathetic coaching staff had our players unprepared, scared, uptight. My oh my, what will Florida do to us??? Better yet, the UAB game will be a struggle!!!
kwvolsfan writes:
One game does not make a loosing season. TO all you puffed up peacocks spouting your negative views. While I am disappointed in the loss and I'm sure there were several of the young men on the team that also feel that disappointment...NONE and I mean NONE OF YOU have the right to say a FREAKING WORD!! UNLESS YOU WERE ON THE FIELD, if that's the case state your number.
I get tired of reading the worthless tripe you seem to think makes this a better site, and while I do support a worth while conversation most of this makes me want to puke. Having stated this which oddly enough is negative...I will shift to a positive.
UT FOOTBALL TEAM (ALL OF YOU GUYS) Thanks for the effort you put forth on that Monday night
I'm sure you will take the experience and put forth the effort to correct those mistakes that generated a disapointing lose.
GOOD luck in the future contest, and as I have been saying before most of you were born GO VOLS.
Kurt
pdhuff#552644 writes:
yemmusdarb 12:45, the charts say go for the FG, not the 1st down.
Navyjeff writes:
Do not blame Lincoln on this. I was at the game, 4 rows up from where he warmed up for that kick. I was there when all the unclassy Ucla fans were riding him hard while he was trying to warm up for that one. They were brutal to him as we watched a very stupid toss play to Hardesty on the 3rd down play. Why would you try that play again? It didnt work the other 4 times they tried it, why then? Why not try handing it off to him at the line like the other times they needed yards and got them? This was on Clawson and those idiot refs. I was also 4 rows up from the Safety as well. Anybody else watch the Bears/Colts last night as they explained why that Safety was a Safety? It closely resembled the one last week that should have been called. Idiots refs!
Also, more than Clawson, this was on Colquitt as well. If I was Fulmer, I wouldnt let him back on the team at all. His selfishness put our true freshman punter in a difficult spot which led to a blocked punt td, which gave them life. You take that away and you have a completly different ballgame. Blame Colquitt, not Lincoln!!
richvol writes:
If there is any blame to be passed around then it needs to go to Fulmer,Chavis,Slade and Clawson...they did not have this team ready to play well enough to win. End of story.
LongtimeVol writes:
Lincoln did not lose this game, he just contributed to the loss like many on the team. It was a team, and especially a coaching loss.
I know it may be necessary to maintain the psyche of a kicker as being successful is as much mental as physical, but boy did Lincoln sound a lot like Phil. That was a little creepy for me.
Not to worry, it is all phixable!
FLVol writes:
I'm concerned about Lincoln's confidence. He started last year 8 for 8 but has since gone 14 of 25 since then (56%). This is not accurate enough.
marinevol writes:
kdt0765, great video. Thanks.
richvol, I agree with your analysis.
dirtdobber1 writes:
MUSTANG! MUSTANG! MUSTANG! MUSTANG!
jasonn1970 writes:
Most knowledgable Vols fans realize there are many others more responsible for this loss than Lincoln. The players didn't lose this game. That's on the coaches.
KennesawVol writes:
RichVol - good post. And you're right - that says it all.
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
jasonn1970... First it was Crompton's fault, than it was Clawson's fault. They both suck. let's fire Clawson. I guess it's the Kickers turn to take the blame now. Some of these people are complete idiots that have no knowledge about the game of football. Oh...the kicker missed a field goal, well he sucks, he cost UT the game. It's ridiculous.
I'm with you on this one. You have to look at the coaches for not having the players prepared and not making adjustments.
Besides it's been a week and people are still talking like the game was yesterday. GET OVER IT!!!
1974Vol writes:
Maybe that's why I keep missing the greens with my approach shot! Its not a golf swing problem its an aiming problem!! Thanks Daniel.
xvolx writes:
richvol. Im going to have to agree with you on the coaching post. the players can only perform if they are put in position to make plays. chavis had morley and berry 20 yds. deep thru the 4th. qtr.. lets give them 8-10 yds. and maybe the clock will run out. 70 yards in 1:30. we've seen that trick before. I always wonder if fulmer overrides chavis in 4th. qtr.. guess we will never know that, since they wont squeal on eachother.
Waldorf writes:
Give Clawson's offense to the end of September. If it's still in shambles I'll gladly join all of you.
As for Lincoln......I thought he was supposed to be better than Wilhoit? All he's done is has already cost us an SEC title and now this debacle.
eb502us#225637 writes:
When is the last time we had a kicker that we could really count on? It's been so long I'm having a problem remembering.
xvolx writes:
lits not forget the fieldgoal lincoln made from 50 yards that was nullified because coaching staff didnt get fg team on the field fast enough. another coaching error by the special teams coach. oh, sorry; we dont have a special teams coach.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
What is a special teams coach? Does he actually have a special team or is it an afterthought?
1974Vol writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
xvolx writes:
pdhuff. kind of like afterbirth. someone has to clean it up
OldNumber7 writes:
Hopefully Lincoln and the team have put their mulligan behind them.
TommyJack writes:
You blame the kicker, you take away blame from the staff....where it belongs. Personally, I'm glad Lincoln doesn't have 60 yd range. That would become Phixable's favorite weapon.
GerryOP writes:
Lincoln started out pretty dadgum good last year -- 8 for 8. Then Fulmer spotted a small flaw in his approach to the ball. Fixed it. Since then he has gone 14 for 25 ... but at least the dang flaw in his approach has been corrected.
Ironcity writes:
Not to change the subject but did anyone else notice how far the center for UCLA was down field on that screen at the end of the game. It wasn't even close the man was 8 yards down field. Should have been an ineligible down field. I am not a big fan of having a kid start his season with a couple of 50 yard field goals. We should have gone for it or punted on the 55yd field goal.
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
Phixable! LMAO!!!!!!
Sheepscape writes:
Special teams have been dreadful for years now...usually on the Vols kick coverage, but now that lack of performance is migrating to our once solid kickers and punters. George Cafego would not be pleased.
law_vol writes:
1) It is possible for players to not play well or miss opportunities that require them sharing the blame. All of it can't be shifted to the coaches, as they don't actually play the game (although it would be funny to see PF and Chavis running on the field for even 1 minute). So EVERYONE gets a little ire for the debacle. The coaches should get more, but lets not forget that it is as much the player's job to do his job (like kick a FG if you are a FG kicker) as it is for a kid on academic scholarship to get good grades.
2) Am I the only one who noticed Fulmer saying "It didn't end up hurting us, either one of them"? Really, either making one of those or trying to get a good punt and let our defense maintain great field position wouldn't have won the game?
RoyaltyVol#280778 writes:
Even if Lincoln had hit the FG, that wouldnt have guaranteed a victory, only a tie. He isn't the reason the Vols lost. We lost # 1 because of poor coaching, especially on defense. Secondly because of Foster, the senior could have set the pace for a blowout if only he could hold on to the ball. The good news is we play UAB this week. Our season will be determined in the next 3 games though. If Tennessee is 3-1 after the Auburn game, then look for great things out of this team.
1volk-nowi-tall writes:
Has the Fla gametime been set?
dirtdobber1 writes:
Guys you all are missing the big picture here...this teams struggles are a direct result of the MUSTANG PACKAGE!
volguy41nlouisiana writes:
Never ....ever ....one time have I blamed him for this game. But, hes a kicker. Shouldve made it. But, we are all human. I think hes got his misses behind him now. Aim true Daniel. Go Vols
VolGraduate writes:
workinlikeheck smells like cabbage
dirtdobber1 writes:
ge446-
Sat. Sept 20- 2:30 cst. CBS
SemperVol writes:
He kicked everyone straight as a d*mn arrow, he was just lined up on the hashmarks for 3 of 4.
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