True freshman defensive end John Youboty gets ready to rush the quarterback during preseason practice.
Ratanamorn made only 5-of-9 field goal attempts Wednesday afternoon during Marshall's special teams rehearsal.
He nailed his first three attempts from 32, 37 and 37 yards but shanked five of his next six attempts from 40, 42, 42, 44 and 42 yards. His only successful kick during that frustrating final stretch was from 20 yards.
"I thought he struck the ball well," Smith said of Ratanamorn, a 6-foot-3, 187-pound junior kicker who gave up his spot as the starting goalkeeper for the men's soccer team to become a member of the football program during the spring. "You know, there was a lot of wind out here today. ... and he is used to kicking a soccer ball in this stadium."
Smith said the wear and tear of training camp also might have been a factor.
"It's kind of catching up to everybody," he said.
Marshall Coach Mark Snyder doesn't want excuses or explanations, however. He wants results.
"It will be communicated to him that his performance needs to step up," Smith said of Ratanamorn, who hasn't kicked in a competitive game since his days at Heights High School in Wichita, Kan.
"The good thing about it is, he has a lot of tape that he can go back and make corrections. With every mistake comes an opportunity to correct yourself and have some success on the other side."
There is no reason to believe Ratanamorn won't be anything but great for Marshall. He has had fewer than five bad days during 35 spring and summer practices to date.
One of those times was last Wednesday, the same afternoon in which Ratanamorn amazed Marshall media members with an 80-yard boot on a kickoff.
With defensive coordinator Rick Minter and his troops jumping and screaming and waving their arms about 15 feet away from him, Ratanamorn ended that session with back-to-back-to-back misses from 55, 54 and 52 yards.
As Tyler Warner stepped up to take a shot from 52 yards, which the 6-4, 230-pound true freshman walk-on from Parkersburg High School missed, Ratanamorn removed his helmet in disgust and berated himself under his breath.
That, folks, is good to see and hear. It means he cares.
"He was angry," Smith said. "He competes with himself and he competes with others because, as he often says, it's not soccer.
"The soccer locker room is one way; the football locker room is another. That's the adjustment. In football, you are respected by performance. That's where he is at right now. He understands that.
"It's the fire that he has. He is definitely a competitor. He wants to get better and be the best kicker here. So, hopefully, we can ride him and his leg to greatness."
And if not, Warner always is another option.
"The thing that was really impressive to me was, I was standing on the sideline and we're kicking from a distance away," Smith said of that scene from last week's practice. "Craig attempts his first one and I'm standing on the sideline and I hear somebody whisper in my ear, 'You know, I have that distance.'
"I thought it was a running back messing with me. It was Tyler Warner. He said, 'I can go out there and kick that.' I was shocked to see that he put it just below the bushes (on the hill behind the end zone).
"That's impressive to me because that lets Craig know the fire is always on him. As Coach Snyder has said since he got here, it doesn't matter if you're a redshirt freshman or a true freshman. If you're the best person, that's what we're going to do. We always want to bring the heat."
Contact sports writer Jacob Messer at jacobmes...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1712. His blog is at blogs.dailymail.com/marshall.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Even after performances like this one, Marshall special teams coordinator Jared Smith doesn't worry about Craig Ratanamorn.
And neither should Thundering Herd football fans.
Ratanamorn made only 5-of-9 field goal attempts Wednesday afternoon during Marshall's special teams rehearsal.
He nailed his first three attempts from 32, 37 and 37 yards but shanked five of his next six attempts from 40, 42, 42, 44 and 42 yards. His only successful kick during that frustrating final stretch was from 20 yards.
"I thought he struck the ball well," Smith said of Ratanamorn, a 6-foot-3, 187-pound junior kicker who gave up his spot as the starting goalkeeper for the men's soccer team to become a member of the football program during the spring. "You know, there was a lot of wind out here today. ... and he is used to kicking a soccer ball in this stadium."
Smith said the wear and tear of training camp also might have been a factor.
"It's kind of catching up to everybody," he said.
Marshall Coach Mark Snyder doesn't want excuses or explanations, however. He wants results.
"It will be communicated to him that his performance needs to step up," Smith said of Ratanamorn, who hasn't kicked in a competitive game since his days at Heights High School in Wichita, Kan.
"The good thing about it is, he has a lot of tape that he can go back and make corrections. With every mistake comes an opportunity to correct yourself and have some success on the other side."
There is no reason to believe Ratanamorn won't be anything but great for Marshall. He has had fewer than five bad days during 35 spring and summer practices to date.
One of those times was last Wednesday, the same afternoon in which Ratanamorn amazed Marshall media members with an 80-yard boot on a kickoff.
With defensive coordinator Rick Minter and his troops jumping and screaming and waving their arms about 15 feet away from him, Ratanamorn ended that session with back-to-back-to-back misses from 55, 54 and 52 yards.
As Tyler Warner stepped up to take a shot from 52 yards, which the 6-4, 230-pound true freshman walk-on from Parkersburg High School missed, Ratanamorn removed his helmet in disgust and berated himself under his breath.
That, folks, is good to see and hear. It means he cares.
"He was angry," Smith said. "He competes with himself and he competes with others because, as he often says, it's not soccer.
"The soccer locker room is one way; the football locker room is another. That's the adjustment. In football, you are respected by performance. That's where he is at right now. He understands that.
"It's the fire that he has. He is definitely a competitor. He wants to get better and be the best kicker here. So, hopefully, we can ride him and his leg to greatness."
And if not, Warner always is another option.
"The thing that was really impressive to me was, I was standing on the sideline and we're kicking from a distance away," Smith said of that scene from last week's practice. "Craig attempts his first one and I'm standing on the sideline and I hear somebody whisper in my ear, 'You know, I have that distance.'
"I thought it was a running back messing with me. It was Tyler Warner. He said, 'I can go out there and kick that.' I was shocked to see that he put it just below the bushes (on the hill behind the end zone).
"That's impressive to me because that lets Craig know the fire is always on him. As Coach Snyder has said since he got here, it doesn't matter if you're a redshirt freshman or a true freshman. If you're the best person, that's what we're going to do. We always want to bring the heat."
Contact sports writer Jacob Messer at jacobmes...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1712. His blog is at blogs.dailymail.com/marshall.
Lets' hope Snyder can learn from HIS mistakes. (Throwing the ball to the sideline, while on the, what? The 15 yard line? With 8 seconds to go... Kansas St) Just kick the field goal next time.
