Trevor Hankins is one of the best punters in college football, averaging 47.1 yards per punt and proving his worth on a consistent basis. He has given ASU two full years of quality play, and has been relied upon by fans and teammates alike.
This weekend, however, the only thing that he did was cause the Sun Devils the road victory against the USC Trojans. Hankins violated a team rule and was suspended for the game, forcing Thomas Weber into punting duties and taxing an already stretched special teams.
How did Thomas Weber do? He punted the ball seven times, kicked off three times, and kicked four PAT's as the end of the game drew near. One of Weber's punts was blocked, his kickoffs were allowing the Trojans excellent field position, and an extra point was blocked.
Long story short, he was using his leg a lot, and it's not something that you can just ignore. Look back at the days when you'd play sports with your friends and family. Didn't your arm start to hurt after a while? Did your legs tighten up?
After four full quarters of kicking the ball in various ways, Weber was taxed. Does this excuse him from having two consecutive terrible seasons? No. Does it mean that he gets a pass for missing a makable 42-yard field goal to win the game? Heck no.
But it goes to show you that football is a team sport, and individual actions can hurt the whole. Trevor Hankins, whatever he did, should be ashamed of himself for missing this game. He can hold himself accountable for the way the final minutes played out.