Kickers slowly earning respect

Last year, IU's kicking game was brutal with the place kickers and punters having little success. Junior punter Ryan Hamre and sophomore place kicker Bryan Robertson came into this season knowing they would face some pressure since both were coming off sub-standard seasons, they said. And with a new coaching staff in place, neither were certain what this season would bring.\nHamre struggled his sophomore season after having a decent freshman year. He averaged only 31.3 yards per punt. Hamre said it all had to do with technique. He credits coach Brian McNeely with his improvement.\n"It was mostly my drop and my leg swing," Hamre said. "Coach McNeely has really helped a lot. He's gotten my technique to where it is now. He scrutinizes it a lot, and he pretty much tell me when I do something wrong."\nHamre said he had a lack of confidence last year. So far this season, Hamre has an average of 38.3 yards a punt. The addition of McNeely has helped in that regard as well.\n"I really didn't have anybody working with me on a one-to-one basis like I do with now with Coach McNeely," Hamre said. "With that I've just gotten a lot of confidence."\nRobertson's freshman year wasn't much of a success either. Highly touted out of high school, Robertson came to IU and struggled. He was 8-12 in point after attempts and 1-3 in field goals before sustaining a back injury and missing the end of the season.\nJunior Adam Braucher was slated as the starting kicker before injuring his knee before the season. Robertson said Braucher was kicking well before the injury, and the competition between the two helped him out.\n"I felt that I was kicking the best that had been," Robertson said. "The way we both were kicking at the same time really helped us both out. When you have the pressure, you tend to kick better. When he did get hurt, it made me focus on what I had to do."\nRobertson started off the season slow, missing three of his first five field goals. Two of the misses came against Kentucky in the rain. But since Kentucky he has made five straight, three of which were over 40 yards.\nAgainst Ohio State, Robertson connected on a career long field goal of 49 yards. He is a perfect 4-4 from 40 yards or longer but all three misses have come between 30-39 yards. He said it's a mental game from the shorter distances.\n"If I miss a 55-yarder, I'm not going to be seen as a bad kicker because that is a tough field goal," Robertson said. "You don't want to miss a chip shot or a PAT because then everyone thinks you're really bad. But that's one thing I just need to get over, and I think I'm getting there and getting a rhythm. If you think about it, the chances of missing it increase."\nRobertson said McNeely has had a hand in his improvement as well. Robertson said the confidence McNeely had to stick with him has paid off.\n"The only thing he new about me was that I had a rough year," Robertson said. "He makes me kick with confidence. He encourages you, but he will get on you."\nHamre said his goal is to help the team win games. Robertson said he gets satisfaction in knowing that he is doing his job. He said the coaches make him feel important.\n"I want to prove to myself I'm part of this team," Robertson said. "All of the coaches are like 'Come on Bryan, you can hit this.' They put me in game situation during practice. They make me feel important. They make the kickers and special team guys know the kick game is important. That makes me feel good as a person knowing that I matter"