Colorado Buffaloes kickers Darragh O'Neill and Will Oliver both came out of nowhere last season to be valued contributors as freshmen. O'Neill averaged 42.6 yards per punt, while Oliver converted 11-of-16 field goal attempts including 5-of-6 longer than 40 yards.
As sophomores, they're looking to put themselves in positions to improve, with O'Neill increasing his hang time and Oliver cutting down on blocked kicks, via Tom Kensler of the Denver Post:
"The fatigue I felt last year directly correlated to a lack of flexibility," O'Neill said. "So I did a lot of flexibility stuff, a bunch of stretching and some fast-twitch things in the weight room that will help with hang time.
"I just have to make sure that I'm always stretching. That has shown massive improvement, even in terms of how my leg feels every day. To get better hang time, you have to get through the ball. Flexibility is a huge factor in that."
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"As the season went on, my technique lapsed a little bit," Oliver conceded. "I'm working on leaning back a little bit and getting through the ball. The higher you can swing your leg, the higher the ball goes."
The Buffaloes play their first game of the season on September 1 against Colorado State.
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