Punter Nicholas Pritchard prepares to punt the ball during the Terps’ 31-24 defeat to Wisconsin on Nov. 7, 2015 at Byrd Stadium.
Nicolas Pritchard made a beeline for the sidelines, running past teammates and coaches to reach the bench. But the Terrapins football punter didn’t take a seat.
Instead he threw two punches at the bench, frustrated with his 11-yard punt.
Pritchard never returned to the field Saturday as redshirt freshman Lee Shrader replaced him. But Shrader didn’t fare much better. His first punt traveled 19 yards.
Those consecutive poor efforts were part of a larger problem Saturday when the Terps averaged less than 30 yards a punt on seven tries in their 24-7 loss to then-No. 14 Michigan State. The short punts consistently put the defense in tough situations and meant an anemic offense rarely had good field position.
READ MORE: Terps offense doesn’t gain traction in loss to Michigan State
With two games left in the season, the starting job is up for grabs. While Shrader recovered from his initial shank with a 48-yard punt in the second half, he averaged 33.2 yards per punt. And neither Terps punter pinned the Spartans inside the 20-yard line, something the Spartans did four times Saturday.
Both Terps punters struggled with mechanics yesterday, interim coach Mike Locksley said. But that was only part of the problem.
“Those guys were tight,” Locksley said. “They were almost afraid to make mistakes.”
The Terps’ first four punts didn’t travel past midfield. That poor execution, coupled with turnovers, meant six of the Spartans’ nine first-half drives started at midfield or in Terps’ territory. Comparatively, only two first-half Terps drives started past their 20-yard line.
The Spartans took advantage of that good field position with a late first-half field goal to push their lead to 17-7.
Pritchard entered the contest against the Spartans averaging 39 yards per punt. Earlier in the season, kicker Brad Craddock, who’s out with a dislocated right wrist, was regularly brought in to pin opponents near the goal line. Still, Craddock’s average (36.4) is close to Pritchard’s.
Saturday, Pritchard’s first punt traveled 32 yards. Minutes later on his second punt, the ball came off the side of his foot and an 11-yard punt rolled out of bounds at midfield.
“He shanked the first one and then it got into his mind,” Locksley said. “Instead of just forgetting about it and going out and kicking the ball like he’s capable.”
After Pritchard’s botched punt, Shrader made his college punting debut. But he didn’t hit his stride until the fourth quarter. Early in the period, he unleashed a 48-yard punt that forced Michigan State wide receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr. to signal for a fair catch.
But that punt, by far the Terps’ best effort of the day, didn’t secure Shrader the starting job. He’ll have to earn it ahead of the Indiana game Saturday.
“We’re going to compete this week,” Locksley said, “and see whichever guy practices the best.”
