Kicking field goals is one issue, but making them is another.

Just four days remain until the WSU football team takes the field in Seattle against Oklahoma State University. However, who will boot the opening kickoff and the field goals is still a lingering question.

The Cougars lost kickers Loren Langley and Romeen Abdollmohammadi over the off-season, leaving a gaping hole for the starting job. This year, three kickers – sophomore Wade Penner, junior transfer Nico Grasu and junior transfer Patrick Rooney – are competing for the starting job. The competition for the starting role has been close, mostly due to a lack of consistency. All three kickers continue to struggle in finding their form before the season opener Saturday. Only time will tell who will be kicking field goals or kickoffs on a weekly basis this season. “We’re not doing very good,” Grasu said. “There’s no time right now because the season is right around the corner, so the best guy with the most consistency is going to get the start."

During the final scrimmage on Friday, the three kickers connected on only 7 of 18 kicks.

“It does no good if you just once in a blue moon hit a great ball, you’ve got to do it day in and day out with consistency,” Grasu said. “Consistency is the key to kicking.” Consistency will be the deciding factor in ultimately naming a kicker for the Cougars. The dilemma slightly improved Monday when special teams coach Steve Broussard named Penner as the front-runner. All three kickers will travel to Seattle this weekend for the opener against the Cowboys and any changes could still be made by today or Wednesday, he said. “The most consistent guy is going to get that opportunity, and then we’ll make our decision from there,” he said. “Wade is getting the nod at being the No. 1 guy right now, and we’ll go from there.” Penner is in his second season with the Cougars and served as a kickoff specialist last year for most of the season – averaging 54.6 yards per kickoff in 43 attempts. The Corvallis, Ore. native believes the competition for the starting job is improving but said there’s still work to be done before the season starts. “It’s gotten better,” Penner said. “I have room to improve, and I’m getting better as we go on. I need to start to get everything together right away."

“(I need to) keep the timing good and make sure everything in the operation is quick, so we don’t get blocked or anything,” he said.

As the season approaches, the level of concern among the kickers has elevated and no clear front-runner has executed a standout performance in practice. However, Rooney won't invest his time in worrying about getting the job, his only concern regards his own performance this week.

“I have to get better with my consistency,” Rooney said. “I’m not really worried about how close the competition is, because the only thing that’s going to keep me in the running is how well I do. It’s getting a little bit more concerning, we definitely need to work harder at it and have a sense of urgency."