College Kicks of the Week, Week 3: Cooper Helmke's Record 58 at K-State
By FKS Journal · Published · 3 min read
No college game in Week 3 ended on a field goal, so this one is all about range. The best kick came in Manhattan, Kansas, where Tulane's Cooper Helmke hit a 58-yarder in 86-degree heat with an 11 mph wind just before halftime. It's the longest field goal in Tulane history, and he followed it with a 53-yarder.
Kick of the Week: Cooper Helmke, 58 yards, Tulane at Kansas State
Tulane was down 17-7 with 17 seconds left in the first half. Rather than head to the locker room down 10, the Green Wave sent out Cooper Helmke for a 58-yarder. FOX 8 reported in the spring of 2025 that the St. Martin's product had kicked his way onto a full scholarship. He made it, and it's now the longest field goal in school history.
Cooper Helmke, 58 yards · Tulane vs. Kansas StateClock at the snap Q2 0:17Score before Tulane down 10Final Kansas State won 31-20Operation Snap: Jason Arredondo · Hold: William HudlowConditions Outdoors, 86°F, wind 11 mphMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
College kickers made 28 of 76 tries from 57 to 59 yards over the five seasons before this one, 37%. Helmke made it look routine, then made a 53-yarder late in the third quarter too. Kansas State won 31-20 behind Avery Johnson, but Helmke went 2-for-2, both from beyond 50. The Tulane Green Wave are 1-2.
Runner-up: Derek Morris, 55 yards, UMass vs. Stonehill
Derek Morris, 55 yards · Massachusetts vs. StonehillClock at the snap Q1 1:38Score before Massachusetts up 3Final Massachusetts won 36-14Operation Snap: Grant Mills · Hold: Edward PhillipsonConditions Outdoors, 66°F, wind 0 mphMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Derek Morris hit a 55-yarder in the first quarter of a 36-14 win over Stonehill. He's 7-for-8 this season.
Third: Dillon Curtis, 54 yards, Utah vs. Utah State
Dillon Curtis, 54 yards · Utah vs. Utah StateClock at the snap Q2 4:48Score before Utah up 16Final Utah won 33-0Operation Snap: Logan Castor · Hold: Orion PhillipsConditions Outdoors, 67°F, wind 6 mphMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Dillon Curtis hit a 54-yarder in the second quarter as Utah shut out Utah State 33-0. He's 3-for-3 on the season.
Fourth: Cooper Helmke, 53 yards, later in the same game
Cooper Helmke, 53 yards · Tulane vs. Kansas StateClock at the snap Q3 1:22Score before Tulane down 14Final Kansas State won 31-20Operation Snap: Jason Arredondo · Hold: William HudlowConditions Outdoors, 86°F, wind 11 mphMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Helmke's second appearance: a 53-yarder with 1:22 left in the third quarter that cut Kansas State's lead to 11.
Fifth: Adam Zouagui, 52 yards, Kentucky at Texas A&M
Adam Zouagui, 52 yards · Kentucky vs. Texas A&MClock at the snap Q4 8:22Score before Kentucky up 14Final Kentucky won 31-21Operation Snap: Spencer Radnoti · Hold: Wilson BerryConditions Outdoors, 95°F, wind 2 mphMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Adam Zouagui hit from 52 with 8:22 left to put Kentucky up 17 at Kyle Field, and the Wildcats won 31-21.
The week in numbers
The week in numbers table
Stat
This week
Field goals made
152 of 183 (83.1%)
Expected makes for those kicks
142.8
50+ yards
10 of 20
55+ yards
2 of 3
Under 40 yards
104 of 114
Walk-off field goals
0
Longest make
58 yards, Cooper Helmke (Tulane)
MAKE leader for the week
Malik Orsan (South Carolina), 4-4, MAKE +1.18
Every field goal try of 50+ yards, College Week 3 Made MissedEach mark sits where the ball was held; the goalposts are on the right. Marks at the same distance are spread out so they don't overlap.
How we pick the Kicks of the Week
Every made field goal gets a Kick Score: how unlikely it was (one minus the make chance, times 10), plus 0.15 for each yard past 45, plus the moment: 8 for a walk-off winner, 4 for a go-ahead kick, 3 for a tying kick, 1 for any other fourth-quarter or overtime kick in a one-score game. The moment counts in full on kicks with a make chance of 60% or less and shrinks on chip shots, so a long bomb can outrank a short winner. Make chances come from the same distance and conditions model behind the MAKE Rankings. A kicker can appear at most twice. College numbers cover every game with an FBS team in it. Next week: College Kicks of the Week, Week 4: Jorge Diaz Nicolas Saves Marshall.
Data: CollegeFootballData.com play-by-play; make chances, Kick Scores and MAKE by FKS.
43%Houston Texans, the highest share (174 of 404 points)
22%Buffalo Bills, the lowest share (105 of 481 points)
Kicker points are 3 per field goal and 1 per extra point, divided by each team’s points in the same games. A high share can mean a great kicker, or an offense that often stalls before the end zone, so read it next to MAKE.
Explore the Rankings
Field goals, kickoffs, punters and long snappers: leaders, every leaderboard and a full ranking table for each.
