Confidence Fuels Freeman in Big Kicking Moments
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sometimes, you’ve got to laugh.
Okay, maybe not laugh if you’re Indiana kicker Chris Freeman and you face a field goal attempt that might decide the outcome of a must-win game against Wisconsin, and perhaps the Hoosiers’ postseason prospects, but you don’t want to make the moment bigger than it is.
So there Freeman was, facing a 50-yard field goal attempt in the closing 90 seconds last Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Make it and the Badgers, are down 20-14 and forced to score a touchdown. Miss it and you give them good field position and a chance for at least a 17-17 tie to force overtime.
Adding to the intrigue, Freeman had earlier missed a 43-yard attempt, but had also made one from 27 yards.
So what did the redshirt junior do to lower the stress and calm the nerves?
He chilled on the field with punter and holder James Evans.
“At the end of the day,” Freeman says, “you try to keep it light-hearted.”
With that 17-14 lead, head coach Tom Allen, faced with kicking a field goal or punting to pin Wisconsin down near the goal line, went for the points.
“I trust Chris,” Allen says.
Adds Freeman: “We were standing there for probably 35 seconds before the ball was snapped. James and I were having a conversation on the field, waiting for the go ahead from (special teams coordinator Kasey Teegardin) and Coach Allen. (Long snapper Sean Wracher) tried to get in on the conversation.
“Then I took the steps and hit the ball.”
It basically split the uprights for the longest kick of his college career. It made him 8-for-10 on the season.
What was that moment like?
“Just excitement. Every opportunity you get, you have to make the most of it.
“I didn’t perform the way I knew I could with that first miss. But I knew the team has confidence in me and trusts me to get the job done when it’s essential to get it done.
“That’s a big deal. I have confidence in myself. The team has confidence in me. Stepping out there felt good.”
So much of kicking is mental. Was it tough to shake off the miss?
“It’s not too tough,” he says. “I had a great week of preparation. The last two weeks, I kicked great balls in practice. I feel super confident about what I’m doing.”
On the missed attempt, he says, “I hit a great ball. It went a little right. The wind didn’t help. You have to shake it off and move forward.”
IU had spent the second half in an offensive funk. Four previous possessions had resulted in 19 plays, 29 yards, and four punts.
With a chance to put the game away on a fifth possession, the Hoosiers couldn’t run out the clock, but they got within field-goal range. Freeman knew he might be called upon.
“I was thinking about it,” he says. “If we don’t get a first down, we might have to make a decision on punting or field goal. I was warming up and preparing as if it was my opportunity. That ended up being the case.”
Freeman’s kicking confidence and toughness was honed during years as a nationally renowned soccer player as well as a record-setting football kicker out of Zionsville High School near Indianapolis.
He won IU’s kicking job over highly touted freshman prospect Nicolas Radicic of Texas during fall camp. Freeman spent his first three seasons as the Hoosiers’ kickoff specialist, never kicking a field goal and going 2-for-2 on extra points.
When veteran kicker Charles Campbell transferred to Tennessee, Freeman took advantage of the opportunity.
Freeman says his range on a calm day is 60 yards. If he’s kicking into a wind, he might be able to make 56 or 57 yards.
He checks the wind conditions before every game, then lets Teegardin know how many yards feel right.
What does Freeman aim for? He looks for a landmark behind the uprights, a chair or something to focus on.
“My thought process is if I aim small, I miss small,” he says. “That’s what happened on the last kick. I hit a great ball. It moved a little right to left, but it was pretty consistent down the middle.”
The right hash mark has not been Freeman’s friend in recent weeks. He missed from there against Penn State and Wisconsin.
“I feel confident from anywhere on the field, but I have to follow through a little more on right-hash kicks. It’s a matter of watching film to learn what I need to do.”
He’ll try to put that knowledge to use Saturday when IU (3-6) plays at Illinois (4-5). Both teams are striving to reach six victories and bowl eligibility.