John Vaughn

[CircleDrill 178]

I don't know if the players ever read this board or hear talk from it or whatever. But I just want to say that before and after the LSU game, I have the utmost confidence in our kickers...especially John Vaughn.

Before the LSU game, I made the comment that if this game comes down to special teams, we've got it. Our punter kicks it over everybody's head, and our kicker is money in the bank on field goals of 50 yards or less.

I still feel that way, and everyone I have talked to feels like that field goal that hit the upright was purely a fluke. I don't even buy that "it's something that is in his head." Just purely a fluke, and now we can go back to the 50 yard field goals.

[Guest Tigrinum Major]

Bad angle, pressure, and bad luck.

No need to be concerned.

[CircleDrill 178]

Exactly.

[WarTim 3,456]

John kicked the extra point that proved to be a "difference maker".

I believe we have the BEST kicking game in the SEC and maybe the BEST in America!

[WarDlowe 39]

with JV making 50+ yarders, Clark kicking them into the back on the endzone every time, and Bliss punting 50-60 yards a pop, I have no worries at all about our kicking game. WDE

[KunzelTiger 0]

JV went into that kick ready to tell everyone, "I'm back and I'm confident"...He kicked that ball 300 miles an hour easily the hardest I've ever seen a kick from that distance. Last year didn't go through his head but he did try too hard. I think we all know how easy it is to fail when we try too hard...

That being said I would be confident in his abilities to kick a game winner with his new confidence.

BTW its probably better that it didn't go through because that ball was coming fast at the student section.

[AUesquire 1]

I'm more concerned about the fact that we came out of a timeout and did not move the ball into the center of the field with the next play call. Kicking from the left hash is a soccer style kicker's nightmare. This was obviously one of those games where points would be at a premium and from the ivory tower of my armchair quarterback war room, I thought we should have been thinking 3 right there and move the ball into the middle.

Neither Tommy or Al could hear me calling their cell phones with the crowd noise.

[edgecy 3]

Hrm.. I am not very confident about JV at all. He can kick it against other teams, but if he can't kick it against LSU then that's a knock on him. For a kicker you absolutely have to make the clutch kicks, it doesn't really mean a lot if you're making kicks when your team is up and there is not much pressure on you.

LSU is his worst nightmare. 6 missed kicks in two games against LSU. I am not even going to try and defend him with poor angle, left or right hash mark, etc etc etc etc etc.

Other than that, great kicker against every other teams... just not LSU.

[rolltoomer 0]

How many kicks hit the upright(s)? If you gave a kicker an offer, "Here's $10,000--go hit that upright", how many tries would it take from, say, 35 yards?

Vaughn has at least three in his career: 1 at uat '04, 1 at LSU '05, and 1 Saturday.

[Grider 1]

Hrm.. I am not very confident about JV at all. He can kick it against other teams, but if he can't kick it against LSU then that's a knock on him. For a kicker you absolutely have to make the clutch kicks, it doesn't really mean a lot if you're making kicks when your team is up and there is not much pressure on you.

LSU is his worst nightmare. 6 missed kicks in two games against LSU. I am not even going to try and defend him with poor angle, left or right hash mark, etc etc etc etc etc.

Other than that, great kicker against every other teams... just not LSU.

LSU is not really an issue for him anymore now is it?

I have all the confidence in the world in him. If he had been called once again to make a field goal kick for us to win the game, I would have wanted him back out there on the field again. It was a case of wanting to make a point and having it bite him in the butt.

[sogaaufan 27]

Down by 2, 2 seconds left in the BSC championship game, JV is still my man. I believe John will win us a game before he season is over.

[abrnfanatc 6]

JV went into that kick ready to tell everyone, "I'm back and I'm confident"...He kicked that ball 300 miles an hour easily the hardest I've ever seen a kick from that distance. Last year didn't go through his head but he did try too hard. I think we all know how easy it is to fail when we try too hard...

That being said I would be confident in his abilities to kick a game winner with his new confidence.

BTW its probably better that it didn't go through because that ball was coming fast at the student section.

I believe the goalposts are still rocking from that kick. Nothing wrong with Vaughn, especially now that LSU has left town...

[AUTaxMan 0]

I have full confidence in JV. That was a tuff angle.

[Auburn alum 0]

Bliss was great, best I have seen out of Auburn punter since Brian Schulmann. But JV, missed a chip shot in a tight game. His XP was big and his year has been good to date, but I wonder if support would be so big if LSU scores a TD and we lose by three?

Saturday was just how his career has gone, up and down..Some good kicks, some bad kicks..so hopefully Saturday was his last bad kick.