Oakes Taking it One Kick at a Time
10/19/2017 2:08:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sure, Griffin Oakes' 46-yard field goal that sent Saturday's game with Michigan into overtime was a truly clutch kick under massive pressure.
But it arguably wasn't even his most impressive boot of the day.
That might have come with 3:27 left in the fourth quarter.
An Indiana touchdown had just cut Michigan's lead to 20-17 and the Hoosiers faced a choice whether to send the ensuing kickoff deep or make an onside-kick attempt.
Coach Tom Allen chose the latter and Oakes proved up to the task.
Oakes lined up at the right hash and sent a perfectly struck onside kick toward the opposite sideline.
The ball bounced exquisitely over Michigan's leaping and fully-outstretched Kekoa Crawford and right into the hands of a full-stride Simmie Cobbs Jr., who appeared to snag it while just barely keeping a foot inbounds.
The precision, on a very difficult play to execute, seemed sublime.
The officials didn't see it that way. They ruled Cobbs hadn't demonstrated possession before going out of bounds. And a review failed to reverse the call. It was Michigan ball.
Oakes was not pleased.
Allen recalled that Oakes was a bit "animated" on the sidelines after the officiating decision came down. But he had a message for his fifth-year senior kicker. Another chance to affect the game's outcome, Allen insisted, would arise.
"Yeah, obviously, it was a very emotional situation," Oakes recalled Tuesday. "We were all into it. And I was very emotionally invested in that play.
"(Allen) said, 'I guarantee you we're going to get the ball back and you're going to get a chance to tie this game up, and we're going to get it to overtime.' And lo and behold …"
IU's defense got a quick stop. The Hoosier offense efficiently got within field goal range. And Oakes delivered as regulation time expired.
"It was an awesome moment," Oakes said of the 46-yarder. "Kind of got a lot of demons out of me, I guess, some people were saying. It was a moment that, obviously, was a long time coming, and I'm glad it was there. But I'd trade if for a touchdown any day of the week."
Because that trade would have meant a Hoosier win.
And Oakes probably wouldn't mind trading in his 2016 season, either.
After earning Big Ten Kicker of the Year honors as a sophomore in 2015, when he clicked on 24-of-29 field goal attempts (.828) he made just 16-of-26 (.615) in 2016. Part of it was process – IU tried multiple holders for its placement kicks that season – but Oakes just didn't seem as sharp.
"Last year, my biggest problem was that I started looking way ahead to things," Oakes said. "'If I do this and this, by this time I'll be here and here.' The thing I've changed this year is just looking more day by day.
"If I do well today, good, that's a building block. Each day is a building block I need to add."
Having adjusted the psychology, Oakes also worked on his physique, dropping 25 pounds.
"I spent an ungodly amount of time on the treadmill," he said. "No one told me, but I guess my weight got away from me last year, and it kind of affected my health and everything.
"So I kind of made it a huge goal to lose as much weight as I could, through the offseason, and get as strong as I could, and work all the little things out that could possibly affect me this year. I've been very pleased with how my body's been holding up so far … I feel smoother. I feel lighter. I feel quicker. Nothing hurts. Everything's good."
The good includes long snapper Dan Godsil and holder Drew Conrad.
"They've been my saving grace through this entire year," Oakes said of Conrad and Godsil. "I'm just kicking the ball. They're doing a job that's kind of going unnoticed. I think (people) need to pay attention to that, because it's a huge part of everything."
Oakes has converted all 21 of his extra-point tries (making him 130-of-136 for his career) and 7-of-8 field goals this season, with the only miss a blocked boot in the first quarter Saturday.
"The block wasn't on him," Allen said "It wasn't a low kick, it wasn't a bad kick. It was just one of our (linemen) got blown up."
"Griffin's huge kick at the end to put it into overtime was great, and he's just really continued to perform at a high level with both his kickoffs (and field goals). And the onside kick, he couldn't have kicked it any better. So he had great execution at a critical time there."
Oakes' fast start to the season began with a boot worthy of making him an IU record-holder. A 51-yarder against the wind on the final snap of the second quarter Sept. 9 at Virginia not only sent Indiana into intermission with a 17-3 lead and momentum, it also make Oakes the school's career leader in made field goals with 54. He has 60 now.
"It was a great feeling," Oakes recalled of the kick at Virginia, where he added a 48-yarder (also against the wind) in the third quarter. "But no one has ever just kicked one field goal through an entire season, so I knew there were a lot of kicks ahead of me.
"But, obviously, it was a little spark to see what we could do next."
What came next was a string of drilled kicks. Even the one blocked Saturday was well-struck. Allen made sure to mention that to Oakes.
Oakes remembered Allen saying, "'Look, forget about it, we've got plenty of game left. So if you think you're not going to kick again, not going to have a big kick, you're crazy.'
"… (Coach is) always fostering an upbeat attitude no matter what, no matter what happens. He knows my emotions can get the best of me at times. I get upset every now and then. He knows how to keep me as level-headed as possible, and I've been really thankful for that."
Oakes was also thankful Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh called timeout to "ice" the kicker before the big boot at the end of regulation. "That kind of gave me a chance to calm down," Oakes said, "and realize I've done this a million times."
And if Oakes was a little nervous about the kick, classmate and standout cornerback Rashard Fant couldn't bear to watch – which is his customary approach to such situations.
"I'm one of those guys who doesn't like looking," Fant said Tuesday with a smile. "I didn't look at Michigan State last year (when Oakes hit the overtime game-winner against the Spartans, who host IU this Saturday). I don't look. It's just my thing.
"But we trust Griff. He's done if for a long time. Kicker of the Year. All-Big Ten. He's capable of it and we know that. We trust him. It's a great feeling knowing … we've got a kicker who will come in and give us three points and who, in a clutch situation, can kick it from as far out as anybody. It's great to see, great to have, and I'm glad for him. I'm just sad we couldn't pull out the win. But he gave us that opportunity to win."
Oakes knows he and the Hoosiers will have other opportunities upcoming.
But he'll always remember tying Michigan with a last-second kick.
"It was a kick that was a long time coming -- everybody saw the kind of struggle I had through things (last year)," Oakes said. "I loved every bit of it. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Even though it wasn't his only great kick of the day.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sure, Griffin Oakes' 46-yard field goal that sent Saturday's game with Michigan into overtime was a truly clutch kick under massive pressure.
But it arguably wasn't even his most impressive boot of the day.
That might have come with 3:27 left in the fourth quarter.
An Indiana touchdown had just cut Michigan's lead to 20-17 and the Hoosiers faced a choice whether to send the ensuing kickoff deep or make an onside-kick attempt.
Coach Tom Allen chose the latter and Oakes proved up to the task.
Oakes lined up at the right hash and sent a perfectly struck onside kick toward the opposite sideline.
The ball bounced exquisitely over Michigan's leaping and fully-outstretched Kekoa Crawford and right into the hands of a full-stride Simmie Cobbs Jr., who appeared to snag it while just barely keeping a foot inbounds.
The precision, on a very difficult play to execute, seemed sublime.
The officials didn't see it that way. They ruled Cobbs hadn't demonstrated possession before going out of bounds. And a review failed to reverse the call. It was Michigan ball.
Oakes was not pleased.
Allen recalled that Oakes was a bit "animated" on the sidelines after the officiating decision came down. But he had a message for his fifth-year senior kicker. Another chance to affect the game's outcome, Allen insisted, would arise.
"Yeah, obviously, it was a very emotional situation," Oakes recalled Tuesday. "We were all into it. And I was very emotionally invested in that play.
"(Allen) said, 'I guarantee you we're going to get the ball back and you're going to get a chance to tie this game up, and we're going to get it to overtime.' And lo and behold …"
IU's defense got a quick stop. The Hoosier offense efficiently got within field goal range. And Oakes delivered as regulation time expired.
"It was an awesome moment," Oakes said of the 46-yarder. "Kind of got a lot of demons out of me, I guess, some people were saying. It was a moment that, obviously, was a long time coming, and I'm glad it was there. But I'd trade if for a touchdown any day of the week."
Because that trade would have meant a Hoosier win.
And Oakes probably wouldn't mind trading in his 2016 season, either.
After earning Big Ten Kicker of the Year honors as a sophomore in 2015, when he clicked on 24-of-29 field goal attempts (.828) he made just 16-of-26 (.615) in 2016. Part of it was process – IU tried multiple holders for its placement kicks that season – but Oakes just didn't seem as sharp.
"Last year, my biggest problem was that I started looking way ahead to things," Oakes said. "'If I do this and this, by this time I'll be here and here.' The thing I've changed this year is just looking more day by day.
"If I do well today, good, that's a building block. Each day is a building block I need to add."
Having adjusted the psychology, Oakes also worked on his physique, dropping 25 pounds.
"I spent an ungodly amount of time on the treadmill," he said. "No one told me, but I guess my weight got away from me last year, and it kind of affected my health and everything.
"So I kind of made it a huge goal to lose as much weight as I could, through the offseason, and get as strong as I could, and work all the little things out that could possibly affect me this year. I've been very pleased with how my body's been holding up so far … I feel smoother. I feel lighter. I feel quicker. Nothing hurts. Everything's good."
The good includes long snapper Dan Godsil and holder Drew Conrad.
"They've been my saving grace through this entire year," Oakes said of Conrad and Godsil. "I'm just kicking the ball. They're doing a job that's kind of going unnoticed. I think (people) need to pay attention to that, because it's a huge part of everything."
Oakes has converted all 21 of his extra-point tries (making him 130-of-136 for his career) and 7-of-8 field goals this season, with the only miss a blocked boot in the first quarter Saturday.
"The block wasn't on him," Allen said "It wasn't a low kick, it wasn't a bad kick. It was just one of our (linemen) got blown up."
"Griffin's huge kick at the end to put it into overtime was great, and he's just really continued to perform at a high level with both his kickoffs (and field goals). And the onside kick, he couldn't have kicked it any better. So he had great execution at a critical time there."
Oakes' fast start to the season began with a boot worthy of making him an IU record-holder. A 51-yarder against the wind on the final snap of the second quarter Sept. 9 at Virginia not only sent Indiana into intermission with a 17-3 lead and momentum, it also make Oakes the school's career leader in made field goals with 54. He has 60 now.
"It was a great feeling," Oakes recalled of the kick at Virginia, where he added a 48-yarder (also against the wind) in the third quarter. "But no one has ever just kicked one field goal through an entire season, so I knew there were a lot of kicks ahead of me.
"But, obviously, it was a little spark to see what we could do next."
What came next was a string of drilled kicks. Even the one blocked Saturday was well-struck. Allen made sure to mention that to Oakes.
Oakes remembered Allen saying, "'Look, forget about it, we've got plenty of game left. So if you think you're not going to kick again, not going to have a big kick, you're crazy.'
"… (Coach is) always fostering an upbeat attitude no matter what, no matter what happens. He knows my emotions can get the best of me at times. I get upset every now and then. He knows how to keep me as level-headed as possible, and I've been really thankful for that."
Oakes was also thankful Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh called timeout to "ice" the kicker before the big boot at the end of regulation. "That kind of gave me a chance to calm down," Oakes said, "and realize I've done this a million times."
And if Oakes was a little nervous about the kick, classmate and standout cornerback Rashard Fant couldn't bear to watch – which is his customary approach to such situations.
"I'm one of those guys who doesn't like looking," Fant said Tuesday with a smile. "I didn't look at Michigan State last year (when Oakes hit the overtime game-winner against the Spartans, who host IU this Saturday). I don't look. It's just my thing.
"But we trust Griff. He's done if for a long time. Kicker of the Year. All-Big Ten. He's capable of it and we know that. We trust him. It's a great feeling knowing … we've got a kicker who will come in and give us three points and who, in a clutch situation, can kick it from as far out as anybody. It's great to see, great to have, and I'm glad for him. I'm just sad we couldn't pull out the win. But he gave us that opportunity to win."
Oakes knows he and the Hoosiers will have other opportunities upcoming.
But he'll always remember tying Michigan with a last-second kick.
"It was a kick that was a long time coming -- everybody saw the kind of struggle I had through things (last year)," Oakes said. "I loved every bit of it. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Even though it wasn't his only great kick of the day.
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