Missouri extra point streak snapped at 252 in victory over Miami of Ohio
Grant Ressel missed his first extra point at Missouri, but also hit a career long 50-yard field goal in the victory.
Published Sept. 28, 2010
The snap came in at the perfect height. The hold came down clean and on time. The extra point kick went up, hit the right upright and fell to the turf.
Junior place kicker Grant Ressel had a day of career high and lows Saturday, the low being his missed PAT that came early in the second half. The miss broke a streak of 252 consecutive successful extra points five years in the making. The high was a career-long 50-yard field goal he drained later in the third quarter.
“It was all my fault,” Ressel said. “Forest (Shock, the holder) and Beau (Brinkley, the long snapper) were great. I feel like I let them down on that extra point. But I just took my anger out on the ball the next time on that 50-yarder.”
The Jackson native’s previous long was a 46-yarder last season. Ressel was thankful that coach Gary Pinkel gave him the opportunity to attempt such a long field goal.
Although he broke a personal record, the loss of the team record put a damper on the accomplishment. The 252 consecutive makes since 2005 spanned three kickers, with 54 of them coming off the foot of Ressel in the past two years. Jeff Wolfert, a 2009 graduate, made 185 of the rest during three perfect PAT seasons.
Those 252 hits were just ten shy of the NCAA record for consecutive extra points made by a school. The record of 262 was accomplished by Syracuse from 1978 to 1989 by seven different kickers.
Pinkel was aware of the record but was pleased that his kicker was able to answer later in the quarter.
“So much for the record,” Pinkel said. “He came back and made that long field goal and that was good. We haven’t been as consistent in practice and those things happen. Now we can start over again.”
Ressel’s attitude toward the record and its hype might have eased the pain of the botched kick.
“People say stuff about it, but I don’t really follow the records,” Ressel said. “I try not to read the newspapers or anything because I don’t like to get a big head.”
Sophomore tailback Kendial Lawrence described the atmosphere on the sideline and the reaction of Ressel’s teammates.
“It was a shocking reaction, but then again you have to always stay positive and pick your teammates up,” Lawrence said. “Just let them know they’ll get the next one. There’s always going to be another chance.”
Lawrence may have been in a “positive” mood because he scored his first touchdown since high school and the first in his Missouri career in the first quarter. Ressel also did something he hadn’t done since high school; his last missed PAT was during junior year at Jackson High School.
The missed extra point came after Missouri's fifth touchdown of the game. The Tigers tacked on two more scores, and Ressel made sure to nail both PATs. The current streak stands at two.