Sometimes the best approach is to go back to square one and build things back up.

That has been the approach with redshirt junior Mike Molina in recent weeks as he has worked with special teams coordinator Mark Scott to improve in the department of field goal kicking.

Molina has missed a field goal in four consecutive games but much of that can be chalked up to simply slowing things down and focusing on getting his steps correct on each kick.

“Just slow it down, relax and take two or three extra seconds to make sure your steps are right and that everything in your approach is perfect,” Scott said.

When Molina has done that the results have been successful, but at times he’s rushed the process due to his excitable nature and it’s led to some of the miscues in his field goal kicking. Depending on where the ball is located on the hashes, the approach can change for each kick.

So to help address some of those issues, Scott has marked each step with athletic tape in order to prioritize and reiterate the importance of making each approach consistent. It’s a tactic that has paid off on the practice field but now the next step is translating that into games.

“His accuracy has improved,” Scott said.

On the positive side, after a miss against Kansas, Molina responded with a career long 39-yard field goal which was a natural confidence booster. But overall, Scott has not seen anything to suggest that the Hurricane native has lost any of his confidence while dealing with some of his inconsistencies.

And that’s a good thing because kicking is like other positions on the field that a short memory is required.

“Regardless whether you make or miss one you do the high fives, run off the field and get right back to work,” Scott said. “You have to have a short memory.”

As a way to preserve the leg of Molina, the Mountaineers have scaled back the amount of kickoffs that he has done throughout the week and focused on quality as opposed to quantity. Right now, the plan is to maintain the redshirt on freshman Jonn Young barring any unforeseen circumstances.

“When something is off we have to go back to square one and build it up,” Scott said.