Post by WVUfanPHILLY on Aug 30, 2007 0:52:38 GMT -5
By Brandon Brown, The Daily Athenaeum
August 28, 2007
(CSTV U-WIRE) MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Don't let the bleach-blonde hair and cat-like grin fool you, Pat McAfee is a serious player.
When you look at the 6-1, 220-pound junior from Plum, Pa., you know that you're looking at an athlete and not just a typical kicker.
He's not the typical size for a kicker. He doesn't have the typical kicker personality, and he doesn't have a typical kicker's job.
McAfee, who stole the kicking show last season, is set to do it again this year.
And with both the kicking and punting jobs securely his, he is primed for what he believes will be his most successful season.
"I expected a lot out of myself my freshman year and I didn't do that well," McAfee said. "Last year I think I made some improvement. And with my punting, I think experience will help me out and I'll do well. I think this year is going to be my best."
Even with a full plate of kicking duties for the upcoming 2007 campaign, McAfee is definitely up to the task.
"I did it last year and it's the same stuff as this year," he said. "There's just more mental preparation that I have to do starting with the first game. I enjoy changing things up. I feel like I'm an old man this year with all the experience. That's about it."
But to improve, he will have to top his 113-point performance last season, a total that ranks him fourth in Mountaineer football history.
Since he arrived in 2005 as the nation's No. 1-ranked kicker by Scout.com, he has shown Mountaineer Nation that he is more than just a big-legged kicker.
He has also put together a highlight reel that includes a perfectly placed onside kick against Louisville in 2005, the longest collegiate field goal in Heinz Field history and even a few potential touchdown-saving tackles on kickoffs.
And while everyone sometimes forgets about all that a kicker does on a team, McAfee has made himself the antithesis.
He doesn't fit the "lonesome kicker" stereotype, admitting to keeping the players loose in the locker room.
And when he steps out onto the field, he says there's nothing special to how he prepares. Unlike some kickers, it's all business and no superstition when he steps on the field.
"I just do a little warm up by myself. That's about it.
"Maybe I should start doing something cool," he said. "A lot of kickers kiss their shoes and stuff. I don't do that. That's kind of weird."
It's that mentality that makes Pat McAfee one of the coolest customers on the field.
Armed with that mind set and one of the strongest legs in college football, he should have opposing returners concerned about how many chances they get against the Mountaineers this season.
And opposing coaches should know that even if the Mountaineers' high-powered offense gets stopped anywhere inside the 40, there's a good chance that McAfee will put 3 points on the board.
With some writers picking McAfee to be the All-Big East punter this year, don't be surprised to see him as the All-Big East kicker as well.
And don't expect any pressure to get to him either, as he is eager to get out there and put the ball in the air whenever he is called upon.
"As a kicker or punter, I'm just having a good time out there," he said. "That's what it's all about."
