Potter Has Lost the Magic–A Trip to Hogwarts May Be Needed

CLEMSON–In the Harry Potter movies, the young wizard travels to the magical school of Hogwarts to learn the trade of wizardry. For Clemson placekicker B.T. Potter, a trip to the sidelines may be what he needs to regain the form that won him the starting job this fall—a job that was lost Saturday.

Potter missed a 24-yard field goal in Saturday's 45-14. That miss, combined with a missed 40-yard attempt at North Carolina, means that for the time being, he will have to watch someone else kick from the sidelines.

"He's second team. That's just the way it is. Everybody's got a job to do," head coach Dabo Swinney said. "He's done an amazing job as a kickoff guy. He's done an awesome job in practice. He had a great camp, unbelievable camp. Now he did get a little, he had a little groin pull a couple weeks ago and we limited him a little bit. He's just missed two easy ones in a row. It's not like we're out there kicking 50 yarders. He's missed two easy lay-ups in a row and we've got to make the lay-ups. If you don't make the lay-ups, you've got to give somebody else an opportunity. You've got to be fair."

Swinney has turned the reigns over to walk-on, redshirt senior Steven Sawicki, who made his first career field goal in Saturday's win over the Seminoles. And while he does not have the leg strength of Potter, Swinney will take accuracy over distance.

"Sawicki is a kid that's walked on here and been around," Swinney said. "He doesn't have the leg strength of B.T., but he's been very accurate. That's why we chart everything at practice and he just deserved the opportunity. You've just got to give somebody else a chance. He went out there and he took advantage of his opportunity, so B.T.'s going to have to win it back. Now he's still the kick off guy. Don't really have much competition there. He's about as good as it gets, and he is a great kicker and will be a great kicker.

"But he's a sophomore and he's still kind of growing into the role. But at the end of the day, it's a game of performance."

Placekicker have been notorious head cases, with their pre-kick rituals, routines and mental state's having been moved from the football practice fields to the offices of the sports psychologists.

When Swinney was asked whether or not Potter's struggles were physical or mental in nature, he stated that he has never been a kicker, so he has no idea what is wrong.

"I don't know. I ain't a kicker," Swinney said. "I just know they've got goal posts. If it goes through, it's three points. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I coached receivers forever and I can get you open. I can get you right, but you've got two hands and if you don't catch it, it's an incomplete pass. If you catch it, you've got a chance. If I've got guys that don't catch it, then you know what I would do? I put somebody else in there. That's all I can tell you.

"I don't know what to say. I guess it's just, maybe lack of confidence or something. Sometimes you've just got to go stand on the sideline."

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