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While the bubble has burst on LSU’s season, perfection remains a real possibility – for their placekicker, that is. Junior kicker Trent Domingue is treading in rarefied air.
The Lou Groza Award semifinalist is 10-for-10 in field goal attempts so far this season. He’s the only kicker in the country this season who hasn’t missed and has averaged at least one field goal per game.
With two games and a bowl game remaining, Domingue is too far away from NCAA records. As would be expected, his opportunities have dwindled with LSU’s recent lack of production on offense the past two weeks..
It was in the nonconference games that Domingue was called upon most. He drilled three field goals against Eastern Michigan and two each against. Syracuse and Western Kentucky. His only field goals in SEC play have been one each in games against Auburn, South Carolina, and Alabama.
The SEC single-season record for accuracy belongs to Georgia’s Marshall Morgan. In 2013, the Bulldogs kicker set the mark for best field goal percentage (minimum of 20 made) at 91.67 percent, going 22-for-24. He also set the SEC record a year later for consecutive field goals made (20).
Tulane kicker Cairo Santos nailed an all-time FBS single-season record 21-for-21 with Tulane in 2012.
The all-time FBS record for consecutive field goals made in a season is 25 set by Washington’s Chuck Nelson in 1982. Nelson eschewed perfection by missing his final attempt of that season. He still holds the record with 30 consecutive field goals made between 1981-82.
Whether or not Domingue finishes out a perfect season may be a moot point. It probably won’t even be kicking that the 6-2, 170-pounder will be remembered for. No, it’s his bobble, catch, and touchdown run on a fake field goal attempt that essentially decided LSU’s 35-28 victory over Florida that will remain at the forefront of his legacy.
Either way, he will be forever linked with the legend of the “Mad Hatter” also known as LSU coach Les Miles and his plethora of seemingly magical trick plays pulled off so successfully over the years.
But it‘s been less than a year that Domingue wasn’t even on the radar among LSU placekickers.
Domingue handled most of LSU’s kickoff duties in 2014. Then late-season kicking woes thrust the walk-on into the spotlight. He as successful on 2 of 3 field goal attempts in LSU’s 2014 regular-season finale with Texas A&M, earning him the the starting role and a scholarship.
Domingue has never doubted his ability. A strong leg served him well on the soccer field and he hasn’t missed a beat in the natural progression to the gridiron. Since turning to football in his junior year of high school, the reliable Domingue has missed just twice in 26 field goal attempts heading into Saturday’s game with Ole Miss.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
