CLEMSON – It is no secret that one of Clemson’s strengths this season has been its special teams.

The Tigers, largely led by wide receiver Bryant Wesco’s returning abilities, rank second in the ACC in average yards per punt return. Additionally, Clemson ranks fifth in kickoff return yards, and, on the other side, has allowed no punt returns greater than 20 yards. 

The leader of the special teams group, and the Tigers’ team as a whole, though, is kicker Nolan Hauser, a junior responsible for almost half of Clemson’s total points this season.

This season, Hauser leads the ACC and the nation with 18 field goals made on 19 attempts, earning ACC Specialist of the Week honors four times through Clemson’s seven games played. Counting extra points, he has singlehandedly accounted for 66 of Clemson’s 150 total points so far this year.

“It feels like just a lot of confidence, just going in every single time as a new kick,” Hauser said. “Just really going out there and just doing me.”

In the Tigers’ 20-16 loss to Virginia Tech at Memorial Stadium, Hauser was asked to do an entirely new task for the first time. With 13 seconds left to play in the first half and the Tigers down 10-3, the Cornelius, N.C., native walked out on the field and launched a 63-yard punt to negate any chance of a final Hokies’ drive.

It marked the first punt of his career and was over 20 yards farther than Clemson’s average punt this season. It also marked the first time since 2004 in FBS action, that a player made a field goal of 49-yards + and recorded a punt of 63 yards in the same game.

According to head coach Dabo Swinney, special teams coach Rich Bisaccia had been working with Hauser on his punting skills in recent practices, especially leading up to the Virginia Tech game, as the Hokies have Que’Sean Brown, the best punt returner in the ACC.

“Rich has been working on that for a couple weeks,” Swinney said. “(Hauser’s) just got the ability to kind of punt it in a different way and we really were just trying to just keep it away from that returner and he did a nice job. He had the one big one, kind of  punted it to the left. He can punt it normally, but he’s also got a little different style where he can punt it in a little bit of a unique way.”

After starting punter Jack Smith got a few more opportunities in the third quarter, Hauser came out in the fourth quarter for one more 36 yard punt.Virginia Tech did not score off of that drive, either.

Though Hauser was not sure if and when his moment to punt would come, or return after the 63-yard, left-leaning bomb, the veteran made sure to stay ready. After all, it is what the best kickers know how to do.

“I had an idea,  but I never really knew for sure,” Hauser said. “I had been working it in practice. Um, some different punts that you guys saw, like the one before half. I had been working those all week. I really didn’t know when it was going to come up but  but was ready.”

Against Florida State (3-4, 1-3 ACC) on Saturday, Hauser has a chance to become the first Clemson kicker to make at least three field goals in three consecutive games since Greg Heupel in 2015. The last time he was in Tallahassee as a freshman, Hauser tied a career-high five field goals made, helping the Tigers defeat Florida State  29-13.

Last season, Hauser finished 3-for-3 against the Seminoles in a 24-10 Clemson victory.

“That really excites me going back,” he said. “Some (road) games are a lot of fun because you go in and you’re the hated guy. You’re the hated team. So, you know, just going there and proving a point.”

While Clemson fans may not know if they can expect to see the punting version of Hauser down in Doak Campbell Stadium this , they can hope to see Hauser on the field to kick field goals as frequently as possible.

After all, he is just one tenth of a point away from Clemson’s all-time program career field goal percentage.