One of the most consistent parts of Clemson Football this year hasn't been the offense or the defense, but the special teams.
That was on display again this past weekend against Charleston Southern, when kicker Nolan Hauser connected on all three field goals, including a 59-yarder, the second-longest made field goal in program history. He earned ACC Specialist of the Week for his performance.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Hauser was asked how first-year special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia has helped him throughout the season, and his answer shows why the junior has become one of the best at his position in College Football.
"He gives a lot of intel and things that he's seen in the league," he replied. "You know, just like sitting down with me after a practice. Like, I have a bad practice in the spring, or I have a bad practice in the fall; being able to sit down and be like, 'Okay, you're really close to mastering it.' But what he likes to say is, 'Master it in yourself. Get a masters in yourself.'"
Hauser went on to explain how he approaches fixing mistakes: he doesn't overhaul his mechanics; he focuses on understanding what went wrong and why, down to the smallest details.
"So, like, not listening to too much, not trying to change too much, but knowing what is going wrong and why it's going wrong," he continued. "Because, again, he's seen everybody. He's seen, like, bad plant foot; that's an example. Just things like that; small, minute details that might throw off a kick or something like that."
For Hauser, the biggest difference is having a coach who has seen it all at the NFL level and still makes time to break down every kick. Whether he's coming off a career day or a rough miss, Bisaccia is the first person he looks for on the sideline.
"It's a big confidence boost because you can come off the field and go up to him and be like, 'Hey coach, what'd you see?' Or we go watch it ourselves, and he's like, 'Teach me; teach me what you see and tell me what you think went wrong in this,' and he'll kind of back me on it," he finished. "So I think that's an added confidence, going on the field knowing he's got my back."
So far this season, the North Carolina native has connected on 15-of-16 field goals, with his lone miss coming from 48 yards against Cal in Week 4. He is currently tied for first nationally in field goal percentage (minimum 15 attempts) at 93.8%, tied for second in field goals made and tied for third in longest field goal.
Hauser was most recently named to On3's Midseason All-America Second Team , and he'll look to build on that honor this weekend against Virginia Tech in a game with ACC title implications. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/clemson as Clemson Kicker Nolan Hauser Explains How Rich Bisaccia Has Helped Him "Master" His Craft .
