In a season for Arizona State that has been unpredictable, to say the least, one aspect of the team that as performed exceptionally in all seven games is its outstanding kicking pair of placekicker Zane Gonzalez and punter, Matt Haack.
Both seniors and four-year contributors, Gonzalez and Haack are poised to end their college careers on incredibly high notes – perhaps each with the best season at their respective positions in school history.
So then, how does this season, based on the potential shown through seven games, for Gonzalez and Haack compare to the best joint single-season efforts by a kicker and punter in ASU history?
Collaboratively, since ASU joined the Pac-10 Conference in 1978 there have only been four seasons in which the Sun Devil placekicker connected on at least 80% of his attempts and the punter averaged at least 42 yards per punt: K Luis Zendejas (80.0%) and P Mike Black (42.5) in 1981, Gonzalez (81.5%) and Haack (43.3) in 2014, K Jesse Ainsworth (81.8%) and P Chris MacDonald (42.3) in 2005 and K Mike Richey (84.6%) and P Brad Williams (43.3) in 1990.
Currently, Zane Gonzalez has a field goal percentage of a scorching 95.0%, having connected on 19-of-20 attempts, while Matt Haack averages 46.8 yards on his 37 punts.
However, of those four, the kicker of two of the pairs attempted minimal field goals as Richey only attempted 13 in 1990 and Ainsworth only tried 11 field goals in 2005. In 2014, Gonzalez attempted 27 – seven more than the 20 attempted by Zendejas in 1981. In 2016, Gonzalez has already attempted 20 kicks in just seven games.
Speaking of field goal attempts, only 10 times since 1978 has an ASU kicker attempted 25 or more field goals – three of which are Gonzalez’s freshman (30), sophomore (27) and junior (34) seasons. Of those 10, only twice has a kicker had a percentage of 80% or better – both by Gonzalez, 83.3% in 2013 and 81.5% in 2014. The next highest among this group is Zendejas’ 77.4% made of 31 attempts in 1982.
Altogether, there are only seven seasons since 1978 in which ASU’s primary kicker had a field goal percentage of at least 80%, with Richey in 1989 (100%; 6-for-6), Weber in 2007 (96.0%) and Gonzalez in 2013 (83.3%) added to the aforementioned five. However, in these three cases, the punters all averaged under 40 yards per punt on the year.
In terms of overall field goal percentage, if the season ended today Gonzalez would have the third-highest percentage since 1978, though the top single-season effort – Mike Richey in 1989 – as mentioned earlier included a mere six attempts, so Gonzalez would truthfully only be behind 2007 Lou Groza Award winner Thomas Weber in that category.
When it comes to made field goals in a season, Gonzalez is already in elite company. The current school record of 28 made field goals came from Zendejas in 1983, the season he was a Consensus All-American. Gonzalez already holds the second and third place marks with 26 in 2015 and 25 in 2013, while the fourth best single-season mark in ASU history is a tie of 24 with Zendejas in 1982 and Thomas Weber in his Groza Award winning, Consensus All-American season of 2007. Gonzalez has already made 19 field goals in just seven games, putting him on pace to make somewhere between 32-35 field goals on the year, which would not only set a new Arizona State single-season mark but also break the FBS record of 31 set by Georgia’s Billy Bennett in 2003.
Flipping the focus to the punting side, since 1978 there have only been 12 seasons in which ASU’s punter averaged at least 43.0 yards per punt. Of those 12, in five of the years, the kicker had a field goal percentage below 70%. Haack’s current average of 46.8 yards per punt would be the second-highest single-season average in school history behind Josh Hubner’s 47.1-yard average in 2012.
Of the top-five punting average seasons since 1978, the highest accompanying field goal percentage – not including this year – is Zendejas’ 77.4% in 1982 that was paired with Black’s average of 44.2 yards per punt, tied for fourth-best in school history. Zane Gonzalez’s field goal percentage of 95% is by leaps and bounds the highest to accompany a high punting average.
Much like how Gonzalez has an incredibly high field goal percentage despite a large quantity of attempts, Haack is trending to a finish with an extraordinarily high punting average with a particularly massive total of punts.
Since joining the Pac-10 in 1978, only seven times has ASU had a player launch 70 or more punts in a single season: Mike Black, 70 in 1982 (44.2 avg.), Lance Anderson, 75 in 1996 (42.6 avg.), Marcus Williams, 77 in 1997 (42.7 avg.), Nick Murphy, 86 in 2000 (41.3 avg.), Tim Parker, 79 in 2002 (42.7 avg.), Parker, 75 in 2003 (43.4 avg.) and Haack, 74 in 2015 (43.1 avg.).
With 37 punts through seven games, Haack is trending toward about 63-69 punts on the year, putting him on the potential brink of that 70-punt mark. If he were to continue his 46.7-yard average, it would be additionally impressive given the amount of punting attempts he would have accrued – especially considering Haack has punted 26 times over the past three games and may be used at a similarly high level throughout the remainder of the year if ASU’s offense continues to struggle.
In terms of all-conference accolades, ASU’s list of recipients is fairly limited as since entering the league in 1978, only 14 combined kickers and punters have earned first or second-team all-conference distinction.
With Utah P Mitch Wishnowsky currently leading the nation in punting, he is certainly trending toward First-Team All-Pac-12 recognition. However, Haack currently ranks seventh in the nation and second in the league behind Wishnowsky, with the third-highest rated punter in the Pac-12 a bit of a distance behind in Dylan Klumph of California at 20th nationally. Therefore, it is logical to believe that Haack should be the frontrunner to earn the Second-Team All-Pac-12 slot at punter should his efforts continue.
If both Gonzalez and Haack were to earn First or Second-Team All-Pac-12 postseason accolades this year, it would be just the fifth time since 1978 that ASU had both its kicker and punter on the first and/or second-team all-conference lists joining K Luis Zendejas (second team) and P Mike Black (first team) in 1981, Zendejas (second team) and Black (first team) in 1982, Zendejas (first team) and P Jim Meyer (second team) in 1983 and K Robert Nycz (second team) and P Marcus Williams (first team) in 1997. At no point has ASU ever had both its kicker and punter earn First-Team All-Pac-10/12 honors in the same year.
Gonzalez was a First-Team All-Pac-12 selection as a freshman in 2013 and a second-team pick in 2014 but was not recognized as an all-league choice last season. Haack has never been named first-team, second-team or honorable mention all-conference through his first three seasons.
After all this research, below are what statistically prove to be the best kicker/punter combinations since 1978. The parameters are that the kicker must have had a field goal percentage of 75% or better and a minimum of 12 field goal attempts on the year, while the punter must also have averaged at least 42.0 yards per punt on the season.
Notable seasons not included here are Thomas Weber’s Lou Groza Award-winning season in 2007, as Weber was also the primary punter and averaged just 39.3 yards on punts and Gonzalez’s First-Team All-Pac-12 campaign as a freshman in 2013 when the Devils rotated three different punters during the year in addition to quarterback Taylor Kelly on pooch punts. Just missing the cut was the 1983 season including kicker Luis Zendejas (75.7%) and punter Jim Meyer (41.2 avg.).
Top Single-Season ASU Kicker/Punter Duos (Listed Chronologically, 1978-Present)
1981
Kicker: Luis Zendejas (16-20, 80.0%)
Punter: Mike Black (57 punts, 42.5 avg.)
The first of two seasons shared by what should be viewed as the existing champion of the best kicker/punter duo, Zendejas as a freshman earned Honorable Mention All-America and Second-Team All-Pac-10 accolades, while Black also was an Honorable Mention All-American and earned his second of three straight First-Team All-Pac-10 selections.
1982
Kicker: Luis Zendejas (24-31, 77.4%)
Punter: Mike Black (70 punts, 44.3 avg.)
The final of two seasons shared by the outstanding pair of Zendejas and Black, ASU’s nationally prominent defense was joined by a phenomenal special teams kicking duo to help the Sun Devils to a 10-2 record, a Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma and a No. 6 final national ranking.
Both Zendejas and Black were Honorable Mention All-Americans, while Black was a First-Team All-Pac-10 selection and Zendejas was a Second-Team All-Pac-10 pick.
Zendejas established what at the time was the school record for field goals attempted (31) and made (24) in a season, while Black finished with what at the time was the second-highest single-season punting average in school history (44.2). Black also ended his Sun Devil career with what at the time was the second-highest career punting average in school history (42.2) and remains the only punter in school history to have on three occasions been named a first-team all-conference selection. Zendejas has since been unquestionably considered the greatest kicker in Arizona State history, though that title is severely challenged by Zane Gonzalez’s body of work.
In all, the 1982 season for this duo should be considered the gold standard that Gonzalez and Haack are working to outperform this year.
1987
Kicker: Alan Zendejas (15-19, 78.9%)
Punter: Mike Schuh (65 punts, 42.7 avg.)
The younger brother of Luis Zendejas, Alan was a Second-Team All-Pac-10 choice, while Schuh, who ultimately graduated second behind Black in all-time punts at ASU, took home Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 accolades for ASU’s 7-4-1 team in 1987.
1990
Kicker: Mike Richey (11-13, 84.6%)
Punter: Brad Williams (56 punts, 43.3 avg.)
Though not often mentioned among the elite kickers in ASU history, Richey was quite accurate as he owns two of the three best single-season field goal percentage years since 1978 among primary Sun Devil kickers. His 84.6% clip in 1990 stands as the third-best in that category and helped him earn Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 distinction.
Williams was also an Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 pick in his second of two years as ASU’s primary punter.
2012
Kicker: Jon Mora (9-12, 75.0%)
Punter: Josh Hubner (52 punts, 47.1 avg.)
Remember Jon Mora? After a change was made away from Alex Garoutte in Todd Graham’s debut season – and before Zane Gonzalez arrived on campus for his freshman year in 2013 – Mora filled in a generally performed well. Just barely making into the parameters with an even 12 made field goals on the year and an exact accuracy rate of 75%, Mora’s most important kick came during ASU’s late game comeback in Tucson against Arizona.
Hubner, on the other hand, put together a spectacular season as he set a school record with a 47.1-yard average and earned Third-Team All-America and Second-Team All-Pac-12 accolades. The previous record before Hubner was Stephen Baker’s 45.7-yard average in 1998.
2014
Kicker: Zane Gonzalez (22-27, 81.5%)
Punter: Matt Haack (53 punts, 43.3 avg.)
The sophomore season for both players, Gonzalez earned Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors after being a first-team selection the year before. Among the season highlights are his game-winning kick in overtime to defeat Utah and Gonzalez also caught a two-point conversion pass at New Mexico.
Though Haack flew below the radar in terms of postseason accolades, his first year as ASU’s full-time punter was a solid one after splitting duty his freshman season.
2015
Kicker: Zane Gonzalez (26-34, 76.5%)
Punter: Matt Haack (74 punts, 43.1 avg.)
ASU’s season output as a whole and the numbers for both Gonzalez and Haack dipped from the previous season, but on a comparative scale they were still above average for both players.
Gonzalez set a school record with six made field goals in ASU’s loss to California to end the regular season and as a whole his junior season included the second-highest single-season totals in field goals attempted (34) and made (26) in Arizona State history, both a compliment to Gonzalez’s abilities and a stain on ASU’s offensive red zone capabilities in 2015.
2016
Kicker: Zane Gonzalez (19-20, 95.0%)
Punter: Matt Haack (37 punts, 46.8 avg.)
Through seven games, both Gonzalez and Haack are performing at sensational levels, as Gonzalez seems to rack up school and national records with each passing week.
On the year, Gonzalez has connected on 19-of-20 field goals with his lone miss coming from 53 yards at UTSA and has on four occasions been named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week. Gonzalez has attempted at least three field goals in five of seven games with a school record long kick of 59 yards set last week at Colorado. Additionally, the senior has exceled tremendously on kickoffs as he has 40 touchbacks among his 52 overall kickoffs.
Regardless the take of analysts for ESPN and their Midseason All-America Team, even to the least biased view imaginable Gonzalez should clearly be considered the most outstanding kicker in college football this year and is trending directly toward the Lou Groza Award, Unanimous All-America accolades, and First-Team All-Pac-12 honors.
For all the deserved recognition Gonzalez receives, Haack has also had an incredible year with three games averaging over 50.0 yards per punt and a long punt of 76 yards last week at Colorado. Though it may be difficult for Haack to challenge Utah’s Mitch Wishnowsky, he could potentially be a semifinalist or even finalist for the Ray Guy Award and is trending toward at worst a Second-Team All-Pac-12 selection. His current punting average is just 0.3 yards away from the school single-season record of 47.1 set by Josh Hubner in 2012.
