ASU sophomore kicker Thomas Weber had the first field goal of his career blocked against UNLV last week.
But he said he hasn’t lost any confidence in the special teams unit. That didn’t stop coach Dennis Erickson from putting a special emphasis on preventing blocks this week in practice.
“I’ve got to just have to trust and have faith in the line that they’re going to stop everybody,” Weber said. “All I can worry about is just doing whatever I can do, and that’s kicking the ball [and] just making sure [it’s] high and straight every time.”
Weber has now made 31 of 33 field goals in his brief Sun Devil career.
Weber was also put on the Ray Guy Award Watch List this week, which is given annually to the nation’s top punter.
Weber took over the punting duties during the middle of last season and has averaged 42.5 yards per punt so far this season.
“I definitely feel a lot more comfortable [punting] this year [compared to] last year.” Weber said. “Getting last year under my belt, getting the experience … that was the big thing.
“It was the same thing with kicking last year ... Once you get those few games of experience, get a little more confident … you can just sit back there and trust yourself.”
Weber said he would like to continue handling both punting and kicking during the rest of his Sun Devil career if the ASU staff feels he’s the right guy for each job.
“I love doing it, [and] I’d like to keep doing [it],” he said. “It’s just like any position you’re in. You don’t want to lose it, because every single guy out here is competitive.”
Injury front
Senior running back Keegan Herring was in pads Thursday, but he did not participate in any team drills.
Erickson said Herring is unlikely to play Saturday against Georgia.
“I’m not saying he’s out, but, in all honesty, I’d be surprised if he played,” Erickson said. “His hamstring’s pretty close, but he hasn’t practiced.”
Senior tight end Andrew Pettes (groin), junior running back Dimitri Nance (thumb) and sophomore defensive end Saia Falahola (hand) all fully participated in practice again Thursday.
Battle for playing time
Two competition battles took place Thursday, with junior cornerback Terell Carr and junior offensive lineman Tom Njunge each seeing increased action.
Erickson said both players will get more playing time against Georgia, with Njunge sliding over from left tackle to right tackle.
“We’ve got to get our best guys out there, and we’ve got to start doing it right now,” Erickson said. “A good team needs to have competition [where] you don’t know if you’re playing or not. You better stay at a high level, or else you’re going to be standing next to me.”
Reach the reporter at gina.mizell@asu.edu.
