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Five questions: Can Will Reichard remain perfect under pressure?

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From limited-capacity stadiums to shortened conference-only schedules, this season has featured its fair share of changes. However, as we enter the week of Thanksgiving the one thing 2020 didn’t take away was the Iron Bowl.

No. 1 Alabama (7-0) will host No. 22 Auburn (5-2) for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff Saturday inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide is currently a 24.5 favorite over the Tigers as it looks to get redemption for last year’s 48-45 defeat.

Here are five questions to consider leading up to the matchup.

Can Will Reichard remain perfect under pressure?

“Each kick is its own story.” That’s the line bandied about by just about any specialist or special teams coach.

That level-headed mentality is what has helped Alabama kicker Will Reichard maintain his almost robotic sense of consistency this season. Through seven games, the sophomore is 8-for-8 on field goals and 46-for-46 on extra points.

The goalposts inside Bryant-Denny Stadium haven’t been rattled once by the team wearing Crimson, and neither has the Tide’s kicker.

“He’s always super even-keeled, you know, straight-line guy: he just goes out there, takes his steps, hits it through the uprights then goes off the field and celebrates with his teammates,” quarterback Mac Jones said of Reichard. “He’s the definition of what a good kicker is.”

During his radio show last week, Nick Saban described Reichard as “the best kicker in the country.” Earlier in the season, the head coach gushed over the sophomore specialist, stating that he takes a lot of pressure off the team during drives.

But will Reichard be able to hold up in his most pressure-packed game of the season? Alabama is no stranger to special teams mishaps against Auburn.

Joseph Bulovas’ 30-yard doink off the left uprights last year is still fresh in the mind of Crimson Tide fans while the infamous Kick Six game will sting for years to come. Could that possibly creep into the mind of Hoover, Ala. native Reichard?

His teammates don’t seem to think so.

“He has the utmost confidence in himself, which is incredibly important at the specialist position, and he gives us an opportunity to win games,” long snapper Thomas Fletcher said. “Anytime you have a kicker who knows the difference between good and being elite — Will is an elite kicker. He is an elite competitor. He gives us a chance to win games, and when you have a specialist who can do that, it is very few and far between that you find a guy like Will Reichard. We could not be more blessed to have him.”

Could this be Mac Jones’ Heisman moment?

Every good Heisman campaign has its defining moment. From an Alabama perspective, Derrick Henry locked up the award when he rushed for 271 yards and a touchdown on 46 carries against Auburn in 2015. Before that, Mark Ingram piled up 246 yards while taking over out of the wildcat position against South Carolina in 2009 to put himself in the driver’s seat for the award.

Could Mac Jones’ Heisman moment come this week against Auburn?

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Alabama kicker Will Reichard (16) is congratulated by Alabama running back Najee Harris (22) after hitting a field goal to end the first half against Georgia during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Photo | Imagn
Alabama kicker Will Reichard (16) is congratulated by Alabama running back Najee Harris (22) after hitting a field goal to end the first half against Georgia during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Photo | Imagn
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