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KICKS OF THE WEEK · FKS BLOG

College Kicks of the Week, Week 4: Jorge Diaz Nicolas Saves Marshall

By FKS Journal · Published · 4 min read

Week 4 was the worst week for college kickers this season: 155 makes in 214 tries, about 10 fewer than our model expected. The best kicks were the ones that ended games. Marshall's Jorge Diaz Nicolas hit a 32-yarder in the final seconds to beat Gardner-Webb 36-35, less than two minutes after Gardner-Webb missed a 27-yarder that would have stretched its lead to five.

Kick of the Week: Jorge Diaz Nicolas, 32 yards, Marshall over Gardner-Webb

We couldn't find a 2026 video of this game from Marshall, Gardner-Webb or ESPN on YouTube, so this week the field graphic tells it.

Jorge Diaz Nicolas, 32-yard field goal: goodSnapped from the opponent 15-yard line and held at the 22; the goalposts are 32 yards away. Make chance before the kick: 86%.404050504040303020201010LINE: OPP 1532 YARDSJNJORGE DIAZ NICOLAS · MARSHALLGOODMAKE CHANCE 86%
Jorge Diaz Nicolas, 32 yards · Marshall vs. Gardner-WebbMoment Walk-off winnerClock at the snap Q4 0:03Score before Marshall down 2Final Marshall won 36-35Operation Snap: Chase Ortiz · Hold: Cooper HeimbachConditions Outdoors, 75°F, wind 4 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.

Gardner-Webb, an FCS team, led Marshall late at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. With 1:57 left, Gardner-Webb's Aidan Bonde missed a 27-yarder that would have put Gardner-Webb up five. Marshall got the ball back, drove into range, and Jorge Diaz Nicolas hit a 32-yarder with about six seconds left. Marshall 36, Gardner-Webb 35.

Diaz Nicolas had already had a big day and a bad moment. He made a 54-yarder in the first quarter, then missed a 34-yarder early in the fourth with Marshall down one. Coming back from that to make the winner is the hard part. College kickers made 962 of 1,143 tries from 31 to 33 yards over the last five seasons, 84%, and our model gave this one 86%. The Marshall Thundering Herd are 3-1.

Runner-up: Rhett Armstrong, 54 yards, Baylor vs. Colorado

Rhett Armstrong, 54-yard field goal: goodSnapped from the opponent 37-yard line and held at the 44; the goalposts are 54 yards away. Make chance before the kick: 51%.404050504040303020201010LINE: OPP 3754 YARDSRARHETT ARMSTRONG · BAYLORGOODMAKE CHANCE 51%
Rhett Armstrong, 54 yards · Baylor vs. ColoradoMoment Fourth quarter, one-score gameClock at the snap Q4 4:28Score before Baylor up 7Final Baylor won 23-13Operation Snap: Dylan Schaub · Hold: Palmer WilliamsConditions Outdoors, 88°F, wind 4 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.

Baylor led Colorado by seven with 4:28 left when Rhett Armstrong hit a 54-yarder to make it a 10-point game. Baylor won 23-13. It was the longest make of the week and the hardest kick in this week's top five, with a 51% make chance. Armstrong led all kickers in MAKE for the week.

Third: Carter Cremascoli, 28 yards, overtime winner at Nevada

Carter Cremascoli, 28-yard field goal: goodSnapped from the opponent 11-yard line and held at the 18; the goalposts are 28 yards away. Make chance before the kick: 90%.404050504040303020201010LINE: OPP 1128 YARDSCCCARTER CREMASCOLI · AIR FORCEGOODMAKE CHANCE 90%
Carter Cremascoli, 28 yards · Air Force vs. NevadaMoment Walk-off winnerClock at the snap OT 0:00Score before TiedFinal Air Force won 36-33Operation Snap: Jake Helms · Hold: Rocco D'AngeloConditions Outdoors, 64°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.

Carter Cremascoli ended a 36-33 overtime win at Nevada with a 28-yarder. College kickers make that kick nine times in 10, but in overtime, on the road, it still has to go through.

Fourth: Michael Salgado-Medina, 51 yards, Arizona vs. Washington State

Michael Salgado-Medina, 51-yard field goal: goodSnapped from the opponent 34-yard line and held at the 41; the goalposts are 51 yards away. Make chance before the kick: 56%.404050504040303020201010LINE: OPP 3451 YARDSMMMICHAEL SALGADO-MEDINA · ARIZONAGOODMAKE CHANCE 56%
Michael Salgado-Medina, 51 yards · Arizona vs. Washington StateMoment Fourth quarter, one-score gameClock at the snap Q4 1:57Score before Arizona up 7Final Arizona won 34-24Operation Snap: Drew Nicolson · Hold: Carter SchwartzConditions Outdoors, 58°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.

Up seven with 1:57 left, Arizona sent Michael Salgado-Medina out for a 51-yarder rather than punt or go for it. He made it, and Arizona won 34-24.

Fifth: Luke Drzewiecki, 51 yards, Minnesota vs. Washington

Luke Drzewiecki, 51-yard field goal: goodSnapped from the opponent 34-yard line and held at the 41; the goalposts are 51 yards away. Make chance before the kick: 56%.404050504040303020201010LINE: OPP 3451 YARDSLDLUKE DRZEWIECKI · MINNESOTAGOODMAKE CHANCE 56%
Luke Drzewiecki, 51 yards · Minnesota vs. WashingtonMoment Fourth quarter, one-score gameClock at the snap Q4 7:28Score before Minnesota up 7Final Minnesota won 27-24Operation Snap: Alan Soukup · Hold: Tom WestonConditions Outdoors, 56°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.

Luke Drzewiecki hit a 51-yarder with 7:28 left to put Minnesota up 10. Washington got a late score, and the Gophers won 27-24. Without the kick, it's a different finish.

The one that got away

Nick Keller, 57-yard field goal: blockedSnapped from the opponent 40-yard line and held at the 47; the goalposts are 57 yards away. Make chance before the kick: 46%.404050504040303020201010LINE: OPP 4057 YARDSNKNICK KELLER · LOUISVILLEBLOCKEDMAKE CHANCE 46%
Nick Keller, 57 yards · Louisville vs. Wake ForestClock at the snap Q4 0:15Score before Louisville down 3Final Wake Forest won 30-27Operation Snap: Hayden Travelstead · Hold: Ryan ZimmermanConditions Outdoors, 73°F, wind 4 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.

Louisville had two chances against Wake Forest and missed both. Down 30-27, Carson Hilbert missed a 42-yarder with 2:29 left. The Cardinals got the ball back, and Nick Keller's 57-yard try with 15 seconds left was blocked. Our model gave the 57-yarder 46%. Wake Forest won 30-27.

Southern Miss had a 21-yarder blocked with 1:45 left while down three to Tulane, and lost 24-21.

The week in numbers

The week in numbers table
StatThis week
Field goals made155 of 214 (72.4%)
Expected makes for those kicks165.2
50+ yards9 of 21
55+ yards0 of 2
Under 40 yards108 of 125
Walk-off field goals2
Longest make54 yards, Rhett Armstrong (Baylor)
MAKE leader for the weekRhett Armstrong (Baylor), 3-3, MAKE +0.79
Every field goal try of 50+ yards, College Week 49 made of 21: Nate McCashland 50 missed; Dominic De Freitas 53 missed; Michael Salgado-Medina 51 made; Davis Little 50 missed; Sean Olvera-Harle 54 missed; Sean Leonard 53 made; Chase Meyer 51 missed; David Olano 53 made; Rudy Kessinger 51 made; Carson Hilbert 54 made; Nick Keller 57 missed; Luke Drzewiecki 51 made; Rhett Armstrong 54 made; Kali Nguma 51 made; Liam Boyd 52 missed; Jorge Diaz Nicolas 54 made; Alex McPherson 61 missed; Caden Buhr 51 missed; Tate Sandell 54 missed; Blake Craig 52 missed; Enock Gota 54 missed4040505040403030202010109 OF 21 MADE
Every field goal try of 50+ yards, College Week 4 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 5: Tony Sterner Ends It for Louisiana.

Data: CollegeFootballData.com play-by-play; make chances, Kick Scores and MAKE by FKS.

Sources

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2025 Points Scored by Kickers

Field goals are worth 3 points and extra points 1. Share is the kicker's points divided by his team's points in the games he kicked in.

Share of His Team's Points

Teams with at least three-quarters of the typical team's points
1Ka'imi Fairbairn HOU45.5% 160 of 352
2Blake Grupe NO40.9% 112 of 274
3Cameron Dicker LAC40.2% 148 of 368
4Joey Slye TEN40.1% 110 of 274
5Will Reichard MIN37.8% 130 of 344
6Nick Folk NYJ36.3% 106 of 292
7Harrison Butker KC35.9% 130 of 362
8Jason Myers SEA35.4% 171 of 483
9Riley Patterson MIA33.9% 115 of 339
10Chase McLaughlin TB33.7% 128 of 380
11Brandon McManus GB33.5% 104 of 310
12Brandon Aubrey DAL32.9% 155 of 471
13Ryan Fitzgerald CAR31.8% 99 of 311
14Tyler Loop BAL31.6% 134 of 424
15Eddy Pineiro SF31.6% 118 of 374

How Much of the Scoreboard Is the Kicker?

32.0%of all NFL points came from kicking
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.

FROM THE FKS BLOG

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