STARKVILLE — Jace Christmann — the same man that burst onto the scene by making his first nine field goals as a freshman — was never guaranteed the starting job in the ensuing preseason.
It speaks to the potential of the man he was battling with, Jordan Lawless, but it also speaks to the slump that engulfed Christmann in August. Christmann ultimately won the job, but that slump still showed in September, missing as many kicks in the first two weeks of the 2018 season as he did in all of 2017 (two).
His recent performances make it all a distant memory.
Christmann’s resurgence has come with impeccable timing, as MSU needed his two field goals against Florida to stay within striking distance of the Gators and his three field goals to beat Auburn. As No. 24 MSU goes to No. 5 LSU (6-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference), the Bulldogs are confident they have the Christmann of old back — and so is he.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t think I ever lost anything,” Christmann said. “It’s part of the position, you’re going to miss kicks. It’s not about the ones you miss about the next one. I think I’m getting back in the groove and the whole specialist group is getting back in the groove.”
Truth be told, it’s not that Christmann was far from his usual form while he was slumping. One of the two misses bounced off the upright at Kansas State, the same game in which he made a 30-yard field goal.
That being the case, it was easy to keep his head when he was 1-for-3 after four games.
“You have to walk in every day and trust it,” Christmann said. “You’re here for a reason. You have the next one.”
MSU special teams coordinator Joey Jones never hesitated in giving Christmann the next kick.
“He had his days where he’d kick well one day and not so well the next day. What’s happened is he’s become more consistent since that first game,” Jones told The Dispatch. “He’s getting back to the old Jace. He’s got all the kinks worked out and I feel good about where he is right now.
“I think a kicker, being around them over the years, they have to work things out in their heads sometimes. A lot like a golfer, sometimes you just get the yips or whatever it may be. He’s worked it all out in his head of how it needs to be; sometimes it’s one little thing he tweaks and you can tell he looks much more comfortable in his swing right now.”
With Christmann comfortable in his routine, he has made field goals of 34 and 39 against Florida and 25, 47 and 32 yards against Auburn. The one unsuccessful field goal was blocked when Auburn pressured the 31-yard attempt up the middle. Jones said the kick, “was probably borderline low, you can debate it,” but the block was more a combination of that and the pressure up the middle.
Jones made it clear he can’t accept that going forward, particularly in a game as close as that one was, but the status quo will carry on. Christmann’s resurgence is a big part of it.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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