Alexis Serna Focused On Kicking
>> Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Kickers are measured and remembered by their stats. Longest field goal, most consecutive extra points, and career points are just a few of the stats used. Alexis Serna assembled an impressive set of stats during his four years at Oregon State (9-4). For the good of the team, he also added punting duties to his resume this past season after the punter left in preseason camp. For someone who last punted in high school, his punting stats were fairly solid. He punted 81 times on the season with 19 landing inside the twenty-yard line. It was a task that the team-first player gladly accepted. Serna commented on the experience.
“I had to take on punting this year. I decided to step into this role because I felt that I was the best option for the team. Coach Riley and Coach Ungerer allowed me to be the starting punter. I took on that task as well as kicking. It was my first time really punting since high school. I had to learn how to punt; it took a month coming into September. I started picking it up better towards the end of the season. I wouldn’t take it back because I did it for my team.”
With his punting internship completed, Serna was once again free to focus solely on his kicking game as he awaited an opportunity to compete for an NFL kicking job. Serna spent the spring fine tuning his kicking mechanics and preparing for both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. He spoke about his preparation.
"I kept everything going. I lifted four times a week and kicked about four times a week as well. My preparation was the same as in season except I only focused on kicking."
Serna’s collegiate career concluded with a host of awards, accolades, and records. In 2005, he was the Lou Groza Award winner and was named to Pac-10 Conference First Team. He was also an American Football Coaches Association All-American and an Associated Press Second Team All-American in 2005. At Oregon State, Serna ended with a record 144 consecutive extra point attempts made. He also owns the OSU record for field goals with 80 converted. His 384 career points are the benchmark at Oregon State. His career points are also good for second all-time in the Pac-10 and eighth all-time in the NCAA for a kicker.
Impressive and historic stats defined Alexis Serna’s collegiate career; hopefully, he will get an opportunity for his stats to define his professional one.
“I had to take on punting this year. I decided to step into this role because I felt that I was the best option for the team. Coach Riley and Coach Ungerer allowed me to be the starting punter. I took on that task as well as kicking. It was my first time really punting since high school. I had to learn how to punt; it took a month coming into September. I started picking it up better towards the end of the season. I wouldn’t take it back because I did it for my team.”
With his punting internship completed, Serna was once again free to focus solely on his kicking game as he awaited an opportunity to compete for an NFL kicking job. Serna spent the spring fine tuning his kicking mechanics and preparing for both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. He spoke about his preparation.
"I kept everything going. I lifted four times a week and kicked about four times a week as well. My preparation was the same as in season except I only focused on kicking."
Serna’s collegiate career concluded with a host of awards, accolades, and records. In 2005, he was the Lou Groza Award winner and was named to Pac-10 Conference First Team. He was also an American Football Coaches Association All-American and an Associated Press Second Team All-American in 2005. At Oregon State, Serna ended with a record 144 consecutive extra point attempts made. He also owns the OSU record for field goals with 80 converted. His 384 career points are the benchmark at Oregon State. His career points are also good for second all-time in the Pac-10 and eighth all-time in the NCAA for a kicker.
Impressive and historic stats defined Alexis Serna’s collegiate career; hopefully, he will get an opportunity for his stats to define his professional one.
0 comments:
Post a Comment