Story by
'Treat it just like that': Corey Bojorquez's pregame work carries into critical late punt
- Story by
- 'Treat it just like that': Corey Bojorquez's pregame work carries into critical late punt
BEREA — It was almost as if Corey Bojorquez had practiced the punt that pinned the Jacksonville Jaguars at their own 2 late in a Browns win last Sunday . That's because he had earlier in the day.
"In pregame, I'll hit a lot of balls from that area and feel like I have a good feel of what leg speed to give and all that," Bojorquez told the Beacon Journal this week "So when I get into the game, I don't really think about it too much. It's like, 'OK, I hit this pregame. I'm going to treat it just like that.'"
Advertisement
Of course, that's often easier said than done, even for a veteran punter like Bojorquez . He can visualize pinning the Jaguars deep with less than two minutes left in a close game in pregame, but going out and accomplishing it is a different thing.
Except that, when Bojorquez went out with 1:56 remaining in a three-point game, he was already prepared to handle the change.
"I think naturally you just have this adrenaline going that adds a little bit more to it," Bojorquez said. "So pregame, I'm hitting to the 10 and now in the game they're going to the 2, and you're like, 'I feel like I had it the exact same,' and it's just, hey."
By now, what happened next has been replayed and talked about repeatedly since it occurred. Bojorquez, with the line of scrimmage at the Jaguars 41, took the snap on the left hash and stepped into the punt.
Advertisement
The ball carried to the right and appeared headed for the goal line. However, when it landed at the Jacksonville 1, it bounced to the right.
And right out of bounds at the Jaguars 2.
"Yeah, I mean, it came off real nice," Bojorquez said. "I was like, 'Oh, that felt good,' and you think it's going well. It's so weird."
The Browns turned Bojorquez's punt to the 2 into two points on the next play. Defensive end Alex Wright sacked Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the end zone for a safety, giving Cleveland an 18-13 lead with 1:44 remaining.
Cleveland Browns punter Corey Bojorquez (13) watches his punt during a preseason game Aug. 10 in Cleveland.
The punt didn't earn Bojorquez an AFC Special Teams Player of the Week nod the way his performance two seasons ago against the Washington Commanders did, when he twice placed punts inside the 5. However, it reaffirmed a reputation the seventh-year pro has garnered for his ability to pin opponents deep.
Advertisement
It was the fourth punt out of 12 this season for Bojorquez to go inside the opponent's 20. For his career, he's put 150 inside the 20, which is 39.7% of his career kicks.
"Early on in my career, I think I was more of just that kind of big leg guy, didn't have a lot of finesse to it," Bojorquez said. "My second year was a little different. I really focused more on trying to be that finesse punter, but then lacked the bigger ball a lot of times. So I think since then I've been able to find a good balance between the two where, if we're backed up, I can let it loose.
"But once we start getting to that gray area, around the minus 40 to 45, of not just smashing the ball. Sometimes you get unlucky. It carries farther than you think."
Sometimes, though, it goes exactly how it went for Bojoquez on Sunday. Which was exactly how the punter practiced it beforehand.
Advertisement
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Corey Bojorquez credits pregame routine for key punt in Browns win
