PK Connor Lytton Got His Break Against Mizzou
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Staff Writer
When recruiting true freshman place kicker Connor Lytton, Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley told the Christiansburg, Virginia, native that they were going to share a moment.
A moment when Lytton, who Hafley said he and his staff recruited “hard,” was going to hit a big field goal. It came much earlier than expected.
BC took a timeout with 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter of Saturday’s game against Missouri. Quarterback Dennis Grosel had just taken a bad sack that cost the Eagles 10 yards and pushed them back to the Tigers’ 32-yard line.
The Eagles could chuck up a Hail Mary, play it safe and punt or, what seemed least likely, kick a field goal. After all, BC hadn’t tried an attempt beyond 27 yards this fall. Not without two-year starting place kicker Aaron Boumerhi, who’s out for the year with a recurring hip injury.
Hafley wanted to roll the dice. He asked special teams coordinator Matt Thurin who was going to kick what would be a 49-yarder. It was between senior kickoff specialist Danny Longman and Lytton, who hadn’t attempted a college field goal.
Thurin said Lytton, and Hafley grabbed the rookie.
“I said to him, ‘Hey man, we talked about this,’” Hafley recounted. “‘Now it’s gonna come true. Just go kick. You’re a great kicker. You’ve done this over and over again. Go.’”
Lytton trotted out to the field with a packed Alumni Stadium roaring. He took his steps and lined up his swing. One, two, three, bang.
Straight through the uprights, and it was good from well over 50 yards.
“I just joked with the team, he didn’t even show any emotion,” Hafley said Sunday. “I mean, if you guys watch him, he didn’t even put his hands up and give a fist pump. He just kind of nodded and jogged off the field, which is how kickers should be.”
The kick, which was not only Lytton’s first career field goal but also the longest by an Eagles kicker since Nate Freese drilled a 52-yarder in 2013, tied the game at 17-17 and jumpstarted a critical 13-point swing where BC turned a three-point deficit into a 10-point lead.
During that span, Lytton added a 31-yard field goal. He also made all of his extra points, including one in overtime, helping the Eagles to a 41-34 win over Missouri.
BC’s special teams have been excellent all year. The unit was just missing a proven kicker.
Not anymore.
