Shrader named AAC Special Teams Player of the Week
USF football may have extended its losing streak with a 34-33 loss at Memphis on Saturday, but for sophomore kicker Spencer Shrader, it was nothing short of a career day.
Shrader was named Special Teams AAC Player of the Week Monday after going 4-of-4 on field goals, all from more than 40 yards. Shrader made two kicks in each half from distances of 49, 47, 41 and 46 yards, adding the equivalent of a touchdown in points each half.
His first was a career-long 49-yard field goal, the longest since Emilio Nadelman made one from 51 yards against UConn in 2017.
Shrader also became the fourth Bull to make four field goals in a game, the first since Nadelman made four against Cincinnati in 2017.
Shrader is now the first USF kicker to make four field goals from more than 40 yards in a game, passing Maikon Bonani’s three versus Syracuse in 2012.
On the season, Shrader is 4-of-5 from an average of 45.75 yards out, a far cry from 2019 when he went 4-of-9.
In last season’s 20-17 home loss to Cincinnati, Shrader went 1-of-5, missing his final three field goals.
In perhaps his lowest point as a kicker, Shrader learned to use that adversity and grow as a player.
“I think the trials that I went through last season played a part in my development as a football player and as a person,” Shrader said after Saturday’s game. “In a way, [it] actually helped me perform this season just because it gave me the confidence to just go out there and do my thing and not really worry what the results are going to be.”
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