College Kicks of the Week, Week 7: Cooper DiLeva Keeps the Oil Can From 53
By FKS Journal · Published · 5 min read
Fresno State had just tied the game at 23. San Diego State drove 40 yards with a freshman quarterback, and Cooper DiLeva hit a career-long 53-yarder with 57 seconds left. Aztecs 26, Bulldogs 23, and the Old Oil Can stays in San Diego. Our model gave the kick a 52% chance, and it had the week's top Kick Score.
Kick of the Week: Cooper DiLeva, 53 yards, San Diego State over Fresno State
San Diego State had lost its starting quarterback, Jayden Denegal, to an ankle injury, so freshman Stone Saunders was running the offense when Fresno State pulled even at 23. The Aztecs drove 40 yards in 10 plays and used 3:48 of the clock. Two third downs kept it going: a 4-yard Javion Kinnard run on third-and-2 and a 26-yard throw from Saunders to Jordan Napier. Then Cooper DiLeva came out for a 53-yarder with Connor Poulson snapping and Tashi Dorje holding. It was good with 57 seconds left.
Cooper DiLeva, 53 yards · San Diego State vs. Fresno StateMoment Go-ahead kickClock at the snap Q4 0:57Score before TiedFinal San Diego State won 26-23Operation Snap: Connor Poulson · Hold: Tashi DorjeConditions Outdoors, 78°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.
DiLeva had made only four field goals all season before Saturday. He made four in this game, from 32, 30, 40 and 53 yards, and missed a 43-yarder in the third quarter. College kickers made 250 of 529 tries from 52 to 54 yards over the last five seasons, 47%, so this was close to a coin flip, and it scored 9.96 on our Kick Score, the best of the week. The San Diego State Aztecs keep the Old Oil Can.
Runner-up: Ethan Schwartz, 60 yards, UNLV at Air Force
Ethan Schwartz, 60 yards · UNLV vs. Air ForceClock at the snap Q2 0:00Score before UNLV up 1Final Air Force won 41-31Conditions Outdoors, 72°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.
The longest kick of the week came from UNLV's reserve punter. Ethan Schwartz hit a 60-yarder as the first half ended at Falcon Stadium, his first field goal try of the season, and it put the Rebels up four at the break. The Gazette reports it tied Dave Lawson's stadium record, set in 1974 against Colorado. College kickers made 12 of 36 tries from 59 to 61 yards over the last five seasons, a third of them. Air Force pulled away late and won 41-31, so the UNLV Rebels got the record but not the win.
Third: Jack Cassidy, 35 yards, West Virginia over Cincinnati
Jack Cassidy, 35 yards · West Virginia vs. CincinnatiMoment Walk-off winnerClock at the snap Q4 0:00Score before TiedFinal West Virginia won 45-42Conditions Outdoors, 50°F, wind 8 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.
Cincinnati pinned West Virginia at its own 1 with 2:05 left in a tied game. Mike Hawkins Jr. found Prince Strachan for 41 yards on third down and for 40 more two plays later, and Jack Cassidy kicked a 35-yarder as time expired. He had missed from 49 in the second quarter. The West Virginia Mountaineers won 45-42 and ended a three-game losing streak.
Fourth: Nolan Hauser, 59 yards, Clemson vs. Charleston Southern
Nolan Hauser, 59 yards · Clemson vs. Charleston SouthernClock at the snap Q2 0:47Score before Clemson up 31Final Clemson won 37-0Operation Snap: Brodey Conn · Hold: Clay SwinneyConditions Outdoors, 63°F, wind 15 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.
No drama in a 37-0 win over FCS Charleston Southern, just a big leg. Nolan Hauser hit from 59 late in the first half, with the wind listed at 15 mph. College kickers made 17 of 52 tries from 58 to 60 yards over the last five seasons, 33%. Hauser went 3 for 3, led the week in MAKE at +1.16, and is 15 of 16 this season for the Clemson Tigers.
Fifth: Jackson Kleather, 34 yards, Northwestern at Michigan State
Jackson Kleather, 34 yards · Northwestern vs. Michigan StateMoment Walk-off winnerClock at the snap Q4 0:02Score before TiedFinal Northwestern won 24-21Operation Snap: Evan Boutorwick · Hold: Henry HelmsConditions Outdoors, 47°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.
Northwestern got the ball back after a blocked Michigan State field goal (below), Griffin Wilde caught passes for 29 yards on the drive, and Jackson Kleather won it from 34 in the final seconds. He made kicks from 39, 37 and 34 yards; his 41-yarder in the second quarter was blocked. The Northwestern Wildcats, ranked No. 25, are 5-1.
The one that got away
Liam Boyd, 33 yards · Michigan State vs. NorthwesternClock at the snap Q4 1:00Score before TiedFinal Northwestern won 24-21Operation Snap: Nick Duzansky · Hold: Rhys DakinConditions Outdoors, 47°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.
Michigan State lined up a 33-yard try to take the lead late in the fourth quarter of a 21-21 game. Our model puts that kick at 85%, and kickers made 83% from 32 to 34 yards over the last five seasons. Northwestern's Brendan Flakes got a hand on it. "It went right into my hand," he said. A block at that distance is a protection and operation play as much as a kick, and Liam Boyd is 10 of 12 this season, this one included. Northwestern then drove for Kleather's winner, and the Michigan State Spartans fell 24-21.
Kennesaw State's Daniel Kinney missed a 42-yarder with the game tied early in the fourth quarter at Missouri State, and Yousef Obeid won it for Missouri State from 22 on the last play, 24-21.
The week in numbers
The week in numbers table
Stat
This week
Field goals made
147 of 196 (75.0%)
Expected makes for those kicks
150.5
50+ yards
10 of 21
55+ yards
4 of 6
Under 40 yards
100 of 114
Walk-off field goals
4
Longest make
60 yards, Ethan Schwartz (UNLV)
MAKE leader for the week
Nolan Hauser (Clemson), 3-3, MAKE +1.16
Every field goal try of 50+ yards, College Week 7 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. Last week: College Kicks of the Week, Week 6: Tate Sandell Topples No. 1 Texas.
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.
