Icing the Kicker

Sure, most people were focused on the Ohio/Michigan game or maybe the Rutgers/Cinncinati affair, but I'd like to mention the Utah/Air Force match up that was decided by a field goal and likely cost Air Force a bowl bid.

As reported in the Rocky Mountain News, with 3 seconds left in the 14-14 game, Utah place kicker Louie Sakoda kept his cool even after Air Force called two timeouts and nailed the 37-yarder to win the game.

Now, a 37-yard boot is nothing to write home about but it is another example of one of sports arguable tactics, "icing" a player. This is largely reserved for football and basketball but you can see it in most sports in some manner.

However, at least in football, the technique seems to work. According to a study done by statisticians Scott Berry and Craig Wood icing does have a negative effect on the kicker. You can check out more on this here, here or here.

What do you think about icing the kicker?