Kent Riddle knew he had some explaining to do. It comes with the territory as the special teams coach.

On a day when every point mattered, Aric Goodman was actually "Money." The place-kicker made two 37-yard field goals and three extra points, including the decisive PAT in the final minutes, which added up to a 35-34 victory for Colorado over Texas A&M on Saturday at Folsom Field.

Brian Lockridge -- CU`s primary kickoff return man now that Darrell Scott has left the program -- returned a kickoff 27 yards out to the 39 to give CU good field position for its game-winning drive. Matt DiLallo averaged 37.8 yards on five punts, which the Aggies returned for a total of 8 yards. And Goodman also had good hang time on his seven kickoffs with three touchbacks.

But Riddle didn`t even need prompting to begin explaining the riddle of his coverage on the kickoff that was returned 99 yards by Cyrus Gray for a touchdown that gave A&M a momentum-changing 14-10 lead 14 seconds after CU had taken a three-point lead in the second quarter.

"I`m sure a lot of people are going to say, 'What`s wrong with the kickoff team?'" Riddle said. "Well, we`ve got six new guys out there is what`s wrong with the kickoff team. That impacts you a little bit. We have to adjust and get better."

Riddle said reliable veterans such as Benjamin Burney, Anthony Wright and Ray Polk were taken off the kickoff coverage team so they can focus on their respective positions. Due to a lack of depth behind them, the coaching staff is also worried about getting them injured on special teams.

"It`s hard to replicate what`s actually happens in the game in practice. Game action is a lot different," Riddle said. "I was just talking to a buddy of mine who`s a special teams coach in the NFL and he said, 'The game is your practice.` ...

"Our special teams made a few mistakes, but we`re battling attrition and we`ll clean some stuff up this week."

Typically, extra points are taken for granted by everyone in the stadium except for the snapper, holder and kicker. Goodman, who has a history of hitting posts and missing key kicks, was feeling great after a perfect day of squeezing the football between the pipes.

"I kept my head down and followed through," Goodman said of the extra point with 2:04 remaining that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. "Justin (Drescher) made a good snap, Scotty (McKnight) did what he was supposed to do and got the ball down. When all that happens, it`s pretty easy for me."

Goodman has quietly made five consecutive field goals and is 9-for-13 on the season. During the roller coaster ride in 2008, he was given a scholarship after making the game-winning field goal against West Virginia, only to miss his next eight attempts.

"You have to give that guy credit. I think he`s been about as far down as anybody could and he`s doing a nice job," Riddle said. "The great thing is he also learned from the tough days."