CFB 150: The best stadiums in college football
SportsPulse: Paul Myerberg puts his opinion hat on and gives his three favorite college football stadiums. Watch to see if your team made the list!
USA TODAY
CHICAGO ― Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore joked that he has never kicked in his life. Maybe just in Madden.
So, he said he couldn’t even phantom the kind of pressure kicker Dominic Zvada was under — after missing two earlier kicks at Wrigley Field against Northwestern on Saturday, Nov. 15 — while lining up for a game-winning 31-yard field goal.
However, the senior kicker went from zero to hero when he lined up and drilled the kick to give the No. 21 Wolverines a walk-off, 24-22 win over Northwestern, keeping their College Football Playoff chances alive.
“I see him, but I am not talking to him,” Moore said of his approach to handling his kicker on the sideline. “I can’t coach kickers. I let the kicking coaches coach him. But his demeanor never changes. I’ve never kicked before.
“In Madden, it’s different. The meter goes like this and if you can hit, you can hit it every time. You’ll make every kick. But it’s a lot different on Big Noon on national television, and the clock is at three seconds, and they freeze you.”
Zvada’s first missed kick came from 34 yards out at Wrigley Field, positioned near where the pitcher’s mound usually stands. The second kick was from 60 yards out and into the strong Chicago wind in right field that sometimes robs fly balls the chance of becoming home runs. (That said, he attempted the kick with just seconds remaining in the first half, and with Michigan leading 7-6).
The veteran kicker ― who kicked the game-winner against Ohio State on Nov. 30, 2024 ― entered the game 10-of-14 on field goal attempts (71.4%).
“You have to have trust in your kickers in those situations,” Moore said of trusting Zvada with the game on the line. “Especially against a team like that that’s going to chew the clock and play that type of offense. So, just happy for him, happy for our team for making that field goal.”
But Moore said the two missed kicks never phased Zvada, nor his confidence in his kicker. His teammates also believed in him, despite the misses.
“Our whole team, we just have a mentality that we just have to move on from it,” Michigan freshman receiver Andrew Marsh said. “Just to not dwell on it and just focus on the next play.”
