2012 FCS playoffs: Georgia Southern kicking job up for grabs

The Georgia Southern Eagles have three kickers that are a combined 1-of-8 on their last attempts, and they have not successfully converted a field goal since Oct. 27. For that reason, the Eagles coaching staff will pick the kicker that looks the best in practice this week, and go with him in their FCS playoff quarterfinal matchup against the North Dakota St. Bison.

Alex Hanks, Ryan Nowicki, and Luke Cherry are a combined 9-21 this season, with Hanks contributing the majority of those makes and misses (7-17). Head coach Jeff Monken said that that simply won't get it done:

"We've made one field goal since the Chattanooga game," GSU coach Jeff Monken said. "Five football games, and we've made one field goal. We've got to do better than that."

Hanks has converted 45-of-47 extra points for the Eagles. Monken said the disparity between Hanks' extra point and field goal success rates seems to be mechanics:

"There's something happening between the extra points and the field goals," Monken said. "(Hanks has) really been doing a good job of kicking extra points and kicking them straight. His technique kind of falls apart a little bit on field goals. He can do it. He's very capable. We've just got to get him right. Hopefully we can."

Points will be at a premium on Friday night against NDSU's stout defense, and the Eagles can't afford to miss many chances to score. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET, and can be seen on ESPN2.