As a freshman kicker, Anders Carlson hasn't been placed in the most advantageous of situations five games into Auburn's 2018 season.
Crowned early on as the heir apparent to Auburn's illustrious kicking throne, Carlson, the younger brother of SEC all-time leading scorer Daniel, is just 6 of 12 on field goals this year.
For most collegiate kickers, a 50 percent mark, at any point in a season, is sub-par. However, Carlson has had to attempt half his kicks from 50 yards or more.
From 50-plus, he's 1 of 6. From inside that range, he's only missed one of six kicks.
“I don’t know that Anders (Carlson) is struggling," Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. "I know that we’re asking him to kick a lot of 50-plus-yard field goals. I know if you’re a young guy, obviously you have a few more shorter ones, then when those long ones come around every now and then, it’s not as big a deal.
"But we’ve been asking a whole lot of him. I think he’s an excellent kicker. I think you’ll see that the rest of the season, him being consistent. We just have to put him in positions to be a little more successful."
Malzahn is spot-on — when Auburn's offense stalls out around the 30 to 40-yard-line range, it often deploys Carlson to try the long kick instead of utilizing punter Arryn Siposs, who ranks 13th nationally in yards per punt.
Looking ahead to a likely defensive grudge match this weekend against Mississippi State (Auburn and Miss State averaged 235 and 201.5 total yards in their past two games, respectively), flipping the field through punting and winning the field-position battle should be a key factor in the Tigers' first true road game of the year.
Arryn Siposs (90) kicks the ball during the Auburn vs. Southern Miss game Saturday Sept. 29, in Auburn, Ala.
"The thing we’re learning about (punter Arryn) Siposs is he’s a weapon downing the ball inside the 10," Malzahn said. "So strategically, yeah, you could see a little bit of a change. I think more than anything after five games, you know where your strengths are. As a coach, you’ve got to play to your strengths. That’s not just offensively; that’s as a team."
The Tigers and Bulldogs kick off at 6:30 p.m. CST in Starkville, Mississippi.
"We’ve got good information on our team," Malzahn said. "So I think you’ll see us play to our strengths a little bit better than we have.”
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
