Maryland football’s kicking inconsistencies: Cause for concern?

Most fans point to the play of the quarterback or the offensive line when mentioning Maryland football’s inconsistencies, but the up-and-down play of kicker Jack Howes has generally flown under the radar.

Howes has shown flashes of being a quality kicker, nailing a 48-yard field goal against Michigan State, but he’s also missed four of his eight field goal attempts this season, with the most recent being a 29-yarder.

While not his fault, Howes’ production looks even worse compared to what Maryland had last year with Chad Ryland. In his lone season with the Terps, Ryland went 19-for-23 on field goal attempts, including three makes from at least 50 yards out. Ryland did not miss a single field goal within 40 yards and was 39 of 40 on extra points as well.

Ryland’s reliability not only expanded the field, but allowed Maryland to open up its playbook on third downs. Instead of conservative calls to pick up a few extra yards, head coach Mike Locksley could shoot for the first down marker knowing Ryland had his back.

When asked if he has the same confidence in Howes, Locksley said, “I mean, I kicked a 48-yarder knowing he wasn’t 100% going into it, and he answered the call.”

Locksley revealed Tuesday that the kicker has been dealing with a lower-body injury.

“I was torn between whether to kick him, not kick him. He came to me and said, ‘Coach I’m good.’ You know, he said, ‘It may not look pretty, but I’ll do it,’” Locksley said. “… I think on some of the shorter kicks maybe he didn’t come through, because he bangs the ball when his foot makes contact.”

His injury may have impacted the mental aspect of kicking as well, forcing Howes to overcompensate, Locksley said.

While the production of an eventual fourth-round NFL draft pick should not be expected, Howes needs to be better, especially when compared to the rest of the Big Ten. All but two teams in the conference have a higher field goal percentage than Maryland, with four converting all of their attempts thus far.

Now, Howes will have one more week to figure things out before the Terps’ crucial game against Ohio State. Locksley already shut down Howes early in the week, hoping he’ll be fully healthy come Saturday.

Howes’ struggles have not been detrimental through the first four games, and they may not be this week against Indiana, but when Maryland’s schedule heats up, every point will matter.