Seibert surging toward Sooners’ scoring record
NORMAN — The math was simple enough for Austin Seibert.
The do-it-all special teamer had netted 124 points in his 2015 freshman season: 18 field goals and 70 points after touchdowns.
“I just kind of averaged it out,” Seibert said, looking back.
And the equation led to one solution: If he averaged 124 points per year through the 2018 season, when his OU career is set to end, Seibert would be etched into Sooners lore as the all-time leading scorer with 496 points.
Oklahoma’s list of all-time scorers is one dominated by kickers and running backs. Michael Hunnicutt is at the top. The kicker tallied 450 points from 2011-14. Next is DeMarco Murray and his 390
points.
After Murray is Seibert, who through three seasons has scored 361 points — 19 more than former OU Heisman winner Steve Owens.
An injury is about the only thing that could undo Seibert’s shoelaces as he kicks toward history. He needs 90 points to break Hunnicutt’s record. For perspective, Seibert scored 132 points last season. It was the single-season record for a Sooners kicker.
“It’s definitely a goal of mine,” Seibert said of the record, “but if it’s gonna happen it’ll happen. I’m not just gonna sit here and count how many points I am away. If I make kicks and we score touchdowns and win games, it’ll come by itself.”
It’s an understated quest and perhaps worthy of more appreciation given how kicking is just half of Seibert’s job. The Belleville, Illinois, native also has been OU’s starting punter since his freshman season. He ranks fifth in school history averaging 41.8 yards per punt. He was a
semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s premier punter, as a freshman.
He’s averaged north of 41 yards per punt in every season.
“Punting is the most important special teams aspect in the game of football,” Seibert said. “I’m not a big-boom leg guy. I’m consistent though, and I help the team in any way that I can.”
Seibert’s routine looks like this: First he warms up for field goals. After that he’ll punt. When practice starts it’s back to field goals, then again to punts before finishing with drill work.
He only kicks every other day, so off days are a combination of field goal, kickoff and punting drills.
Those field goals and PATs will be followed more closely this season. His last field-goal attempt was one for Oklahoma fans to forget, as Georgia’s Lorenzo Carter blocked Seibert’s double-overtime kick as the Bulldogs went on to win the Rose Bowl.
For his career, Seibert is 46 for 60 (77 percent) on field goals and 223 for 227 (98 percent) on PATs. As his kicks fly end over end closer to the magic number of 451, Seibert said he won’t be keeping a mental calculator.
But don’t think he’s not aware of the mark.
“Being in the grasp of it is very cool,” Seibert said.