University of North Carolina Athletics
A Kicker Finds His Place
August 11, 2009 | Football
Aug. 11, 2009
Jab left, right, left, through.
So simple yet so complex is the job of the place-kicker. He can be the loneliest player walking off the field, or he can be hoisted onto shoulders, the hero, or the goat.
Jab left, right, left, through.
For a kicker, technique and repetition are of the utmost importance. Casey Barth knows that. Fifteen times, he jogged out to attempt a field goal last season. Ten times, he put the ball through the uprights. Barth was perfect on 33 extra-point attempts.
The past behind him, Barth says his freshman year served as a learning experience, a trial-by-fire to prepare the kicker for bigger kicks to come. “Last season was good, to help me get ready,” he says. “We played in some pretty big games last year, so I think that helped me get the mindset for this upcoming year.”
He's right. Barth took over placekicking duties in the fifth game of the season. His kicks gave the Tar Heels nine points a week later against Notre Dame, in a five-point victory. Ah, but there's the flip side of that coin. Barth was 2-3 at Maryland, hitting from 38 and 28 yards, respectively, before missing another 28-yard attempt in the third quarter. Carolina eventually lost that game by two points.
There's more to it, of course. In that particular game, Carolina could not convert on two red zone opportunities and settled for field goal attempts. Opening the fourth quarter with a three-and-out deep in Terps territory didn't help the cause, either.
But Barth knows he needs to be reliable for the team to put points on the board in 2009. For every kick he'll attempt in a game, there are hundreds of practice reps. “You just try to really make each kick count when you're practicing,” he says. He'll set goals to challenge himself, too. Striving, for example, to make 95 percent of his practice kicks. “Set some standards for yourself. That can kind of help with the mental part, getting ready to always make it.” And that's where the repetition comes in.
Jab left, right, left, through.
It doesn't matter if it's just he and holder Trase Jones on the practice field, or 60,000 strong in the Kenan Stadium stands. His preparation and technique are the same. “You don't really think about anything,” Barth says of the moments before a kick. “'Keep the head down, finish the kick,' stuff like that. I get a good leg swing in, to make sure everything's loose, and then just go from there.”
Barth must be able to trust both the snapper and his holder. Add to that the offensive line, which must keep defenders off long enough for Barth to get his kick away. “Timing-wise, it's 1.2 or 1.3 seconds,” he says. “If they block it from the outside, it's kind of my fault. Usually that won't happen.”
With the departure of Jay Wooten, Barth will likely take over kickoff responsibilities in 2009. So not only will he cap a drive with a field goal or extra point, he'll do his part in giving the defense room to work. “Field goal kicking is more of a smooth motion,” he says. “Kickoff is kind of a violent motion. You want to kill the ball, kick it as far as you can.”
Even then, there are strategies involved. Depending on the opposing team and game situation, the kicker may be called upon to go deep right or left, squib the ball, or pooch kick. A bad ball off the foot of a kicker can be disastrous for a defense, which can be put on its heels before the first snap of a series. So a quality kick – and coverage of the return – is extremely important. “That can boost other teams' morale so much,” Barth says, “because they only have to go so far to score.”
Whether it's a field goal, or an opportunity to pin an offense deep, the right foot of Casey Barth will play an important role in the Tar Heels' 2009 season. He's ready to take on that responsibility. “Obviously, there's 60,000 people watching you, judging you, but you've just got to go out there and do your own thing.”
Jab left, right, left, through.
Turner Walston is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly. Follow the Tar Heel Monthly staff on Twitter.
