Iowa State’s Achilles heel is located on the other end of that figurative foot. Mike McKnight and Tony Yelk are the placekickers for the Cyclones. McKnight is currently trying to shed his image as the scapegoat in a few of last year’s losses while Yelk, a true freshman, is just trying to make an impact right away. Both started off on the wrong foot. “We had some ridiculous kicks,” says Dan McCarney, ISU head coach. “It’s a problem and it’s embarrassing.” The “ridiculous kicks” refer to the missed PAT’s by McKnight and Yelk. McKnight’s explanation for his missed PAT is twofold. First, McKnight believes he had poor mechanics. “It wasn’t butterflies. I just hit wrong,” said McKnight. The second explanation is a bit more psychological. In practice, McKnight is able to boot through the 20-yard uprights with ease. In the game, the pressure seems to mount, and McKnight is suddenly aware that he should make the PAT 99 times out of 100. When he doesn’t, as in Saturday’s game, a chorus of jeers echo down and through his helmet. What can he do to remedy this problem? The answer for McKnight lies in visualization and repetition. “I’m going to try and focus on what I have been doing in practice which is hitting them,” said McKnight. If telling himself that the PAT’s in games are just like the PAT’s he makes in practice, the problem should resolve itself. But if McKnight isn’t able to simulate practice-like conditions during the game, he may find himself in stiffer competition with back-up Tony Yelk. McKnight hinted at Saturday’s post-game press conference that Yelk is his understudy. McCarney sees the kicking situation in a different light. “It’s wide open,” said McCarney, regarding the starting position for the placekicker. “We missed two extra points and it’s inexcusable.” To McKnight’s credit, he was able to hit two field goals (27 and 22 yards, respectively) after hearing it from the crowd for missing a 50-yarder early on in the game. McKnight’s longest made field-goal still stands at 43 yards. Yelk’s missed PAT was his first attempt in Division I football. The freshmen from Arlington, Wis. made 99-of-110 PAT’s in high school. Yelk was accurate 63 percent of the time when attempting a field goal, making 35-of-56 while in high school. Last year, McKnight made 26-of-30 PAT’s, which is an accuracy of 86 percent compared to Yelk’s 90 percent while in high school. When kicking field goals, McKnight fared worse, making 7-13, (54 percent). McCarney said he foresees a potentially ominous future. “It can really hurt us if it doesn’t improve.”