TicketsBy Bill Koch
GoBEARCATS.com
CINCINNATI – Perhaps no position on a football field lends itself to anonymity more than a kickoff specialist.
Placekickers are praised when they make field goals and vilified when they miss them. They're expected to make extra points as a matter of course and when they don't they hear about it. They make their presence known for better or for worse.
But a kickoff specialist? He trots onto the field after his team scores and tries to boot the ball into the opponent's end zone. Then he returns to the sanctity of the sideline largely forgotten.
So it's quite likely that when University of Cincinnati third-year sophomore kicker Ryan Jones trotted onto the Nippert Stadium field last Saturday against Central Florida to attempt an extra point after the Bearcats scored their first touchdown of the game, fans were wondering who the heck he was. For the past two seasons, they've been accustomed to seeing Andrew Gantz before he got injured and then Josh Pasley.
Now here was Jones making his placekicking debut for the Bearcats seemingly out of the blue.
"I hadn't kicked a field goal or anything in a game since my senior year in high school (in 2014)," Jones said. "Running out there I was really nervous."
Jones kicked the extra point, but his next one was blocked. He later kicked a 26-yard field goal to end the third quarter. It was a rather nondescript beginning to what he hopes will be a lengthy stay as the Bearcats' kicker.
"I got the first one out of the way," he said. "I've got a lot to improve on, but I'm grateful that I got the opportunity. I've just got to run with it."
Reaching this point is a testament to Jones' perseverance. He was primarily a soccer player who doubled as a placekicker on the football team at New Castle (Ind.) High School. During his four years at New Castle, the football team won only two games, one during his sophomore year, the other during his senior year. He was 8-for-8 in extra point conversions and made three field goals as a senior, including a 34-yard kick that provided his team with its only win in 2014.
"I come from a basketball school," Jones said. "Steve Alford came from my school back in New Castle. Soccer was my big thing and I also kicked. I didn't get very many looks in high school."
But he kicked enough to prove that he had a strong leg. As a junior, he booted a 52-yard field goal against Logansport that set an Indiana state record. He graduated with New Castle's career records for field goals and extra points, even though a soccer injury caused him to miss most of his senior year. He had no football scholarship offers, only invitations to become a preferred walk-on. He said he had interest from Purdue, Ball State, Indiana and Northern Illinois in addition to UC.
"I really liked Cincinnati, so I chose here," Jones said.
Jones knew that UC already had Gantz and Pasley, but he was prepared to wait his turn.
"The biggest thing with college now," Jones said, "is with kickoffs it's such a toll on your leg that if they have somebody else that can do it just as well, that's what they look for. So I knew I had an opportunity maybe to do that."
Jones became the Bearcats' kickoff specialist for all of last season after redshirting in 2015, averaging 59.4 yards per kick with 14 touchbacks. Opponents started their drives on average at their own 25-yard line.
Kicking off at least got him on the field from time to time, but like any kicker he really wanted to kick field goals. Last week he finally got his chance.
"I was trying to work my way up," Jones said. "With Gantz battling injuries, especially in the hip area, that's the worst place for a kicker. He was kicking well in camp and he really had no signs of problems and then I think it was probably two games (into the season) when he started feeling it. That's when they finally said you can compete now."
He was told last Thursday after practice that he would be the Bearcats' placekicker against UCF.
"It was a competition and just consistency over time," said UC coach Luke Fickell. "In practice Jones started to show more consistency."
The season began with Gantz kicking in the opener against Austin Peay. He missed a 26-yard field goal attempt, his only one of the game, and also missed an extra point. Pasley kicked against Michigan, Miami, Navy and Marshall. He made three of six field goal attempts and all nine of his extra point attempts.
With Gantz still struggling physically, the competition for the job has been narrowed to Jones and Pasley. For now, it appears that Jones has won. Fickell said at his weekly press conference Tuesday that Jones would be the place kicker this week at South Florida.
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBEARCATS.com in January, 2015.
GoBEARCATS.com
CINCINNATI – Perhaps no position on a football field lends itself to anonymity more than a kickoff specialist.
Placekickers are praised when they make field goals and vilified when they miss them. They're expected to make extra points as a matter of course and when they don't they hear about it. They make their presence known for better or for worse.
But a kickoff specialist? He trots onto the field after his team scores and tries to boot the ball into the opponent's end zone. Then he returns to the sanctity of the sideline largely forgotten.
So it's quite likely that when University of Cincinnati third-year sophomore kicker Ryan Jones trotted onto the Nippert Stadium field last Saturday against Central Florida to attempt an extra point after the Bearcats scored their first touchdown of the game, fans were wondering who the heck he was. For the past two seasons, they've been accustomed to seeing Andrew Gantz before he got injured and then Josh Pasley.
Now here was Jones making his placekicking debut for the Bearcats seemingly out of the blue.
"I hadn't kicked a field goal or anything in a game since my senior year in high school (in 2014)," Jones said. "Running out there I was really nervous."
Jones kicked the extra point, but his next one was blocked. He later kicked a 26-yard field goal to end the third quarter. It was a rather nondescript beginning to what he hopes will be a lengthy stay as the Bearcats' kicker.
"I got the first one out of the way," he said. "I've got a lot to improve on, but I'm grateful that I got the opportunity. I've just got to run with it."
Reaching this point is a testament to Jones' perseverance. He was primarily a soccer player who doubled as a placekicker on the football team at New Castle (Ind.) High School. During his four years at New Castle, the football team won only two games, one during his sophomore year, the other during his senior year. He was 8-for-8 in extra point conversions and made three field goals as a senior, including a 34-yard kick that provided his team with its only win in 2014.
"I come from a basketball school," Jones said. "Steve Alford came from my school back in New Castle. Soccer was my big thing and I also kicked. I didn't get very many looks in high school."
But he kicked enough to prove that he had a strong leg. As a junior, he booted a 52-yard field goal against Logansport that set an Indiana state record. He graduated with New Castle's career records for field goals and extra points, even though a soccer injury caused him to miss most of his senior year. He had no football scholarship offers, only invitations to become a preferred walk-on. He said he had interest from Purdue, Ball State, Indiana and Northern Illinois in addition to UC.
"I really liked Cincinnati, so I chose here," Jones said.
Jones knew that UC already had Gantz and Pasley, but he was prepared to wait his turn.
"The biggest thing with college now," Jones said, "is with kickoffs it's such a toll on your leg that if they have somebody else that can do it just as well, that's what they look for. So I knew I had an opportunity maybe to do that."
Jones became the Bearcats' kickoff specialist for all of last season after redshirting in 2015, averaging 59.4 yards per kick with 14 touchbacks. Opponents started their drives on average at their own 25-yard line.
Kicking off at least got him on the field from time to time, but like any kicker he really wanted to kick field goals. Last week he finally got his chance.
"I was trying to work my way up," Jones said. "With Gantz battling injuries, especially in the hip area, that's the worst place for a kicker. He was kicking well in camp and he really had no signs of problems and then I think it was probably two games (into the season) when he started feeling it. That's when they finally said you can compete now."
He was told last Thursday after practice that he would be the Bearcats' placekicker against UCF.
"It was a competition and just consistency over time," said UC coach Luke Fickell. "In practice Jones started to show more consistency."
The season began with Gantz kicking in the opener against Austin Peay. He missed a 26-yard field goal attempt, his only one of the game, and also missed an extra point. Pasley kicked against Michigan, Miami, Navy and Marshall. He made three of six field goal attempts and all nine of his extra point attempts.
With Gantz still struggling physically, the competition for the job has been narrowed to Jones and Pasley. For now, it appears that Jones has won. Fickell said at his weekly press conference Tuesday that Jones would be the place kicker this week at South Florida.
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBEARCATS.com in January, 2015.