Kuehn lifts Tribe to another late-game victory

Two. That is how many game-winning field goals the College of William & Mary’s Greg Kuehn kicked coming into Saturday’s Atlantic 10 clash with JMU. Kuehn made it three when be booted a 46-yarder into the wind as time expired to lift the Tribe over the Dukes, 27-24.

"This is by far the biggest kick of my career," Kuehn said. "We knew it would be tough. JMU’s a good team and we showed today that we were better."

Kuehn’s first game winner came Sept. 18 in the Tribe’s 9-7 win over the University of New Hampshire when he connected on a 21-yarder. His second lifted William & Mary over Northeastern University 38-35 on Oct. 2 when he hit a 28-yarder to win it in overtime.

"I knew I had to kick it the right way into the wind and compensate," Kuehn said. "I had to trust my technique."

Kuehn’s technique served him well in 2004. Coming into Saturday’s game, he led the A-10 in field goals per game, averaging 1.44.

He missed a 32-yarder in the first quarter. It was the first time Kuehn had missed a kick of less than 40 yards in 14 attempts, dating back to last season. Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock had no reservations sticking with Kuehn in the closing moments of a game carrying major A-10 implications.

"Greg is a great kicker," Laycock said. "He’s been doing it all year. Why stop and change now?"

Before the JMU game, Kuehn was second in points per game in the A-10 with 8.3, good enough to rank him 21st nationally amongst all players — including those kicking in Division I-A.

He is also on pace to make a run at William & Mary’s career mark held by Steve Christie, who booted 57 3-pointers in his time wearing the green and gold. Kuehn, a junior, currently sits with 42 after making two against the Dukes. Christie began his senior campaign with 36.

"He’s a very good kicker," JMU coach Mickey Matthews said. "That was a very pressured kick he made — 46 yards — into the wind."

Kuehn’s heroics were set up by a drive engineered with 45 seconds to play by Tribe senior quarterback Lang Campbell. Campbell was a perfect 4 for 4 for 43 yards to get William & Mary close enough for the field goal.

"I was thinking, ‘Just try to get into Greg’s range,’ " Campbell said