Scott Secor said he blacks out every time he lines up to kick a football.
The process of his kicking motion comes naturally for Secor.
It’s so natural that he doesn’t remember any of it when his number is called during a game.
He said “absolutely nothing” goes through his mind during a kick.
"My mind goes blank,” he said. “You don’t think about anything.”
The redshirt senior spent the first two seasons of his Ball State career handling kickoffs before taking over the role as placekicker when Steven Schott graduated after the 2012 season.
Last season, Secor connected on 19-of-24 field goal attempts and was named to the All Mid-American Conference Third Team. Now ready for his final season, he said he doesn’t fear attempting 50-yarders into the wind.
But he hates extra points, and said they are his least favorite kick.
Out of 189 kickers in the Football Bowl Subdivision who kicked extra points in 2013, 85 did not miss one, according to ESPN.com. Secor missed just two, finishing the season at 96 percent.
The extra point is regarded as the easiest kick in football, but Secor said because the posts are much closer to him, it’s easier to shank a kick and watch it deflect off the goal post.
A significant part of getting the kick to go through the uprights starts with the holder. Where the ball is placed on the ground and how the holder positions it can make or break a kick, Secor said. Last season, his holder was usually former quarterback Keith Wenning.
This season, backup quarterback Kyle Kamman is the scheduled holder.
Secor said after working together all summer, chemistry developed between them, and now they are on the same page.
But what happens when the snap and hold are perfectly executed, and the kicker still misses?
“You can’t think about it. Move on to the next kick, because the miss is already over,” Secor said. “If you sit there and dwell upon it, it’ll just mess you up mentally.”
During practice, Secor often paces the sidelines, practicing kicks at tough angles to test his accuracy and power.
Sometimes, Secor’s jersey number — one — reflects the solidarity of his position.
Kickers are often stereotyped as loners, as placekickers don’t require as much contact with different position groups as other players.
During games, Secor said he tries to stay even-keeled while watching.
“I’m not going crazy on the sidelines during big plays like everyone else, and you’ll see me by myself a lot, practicing my kicking,” Secor said. “I’m basically in my own little world.”
Wide receiver Jordan Williams disagrees with the loner stereotype. He makes a point to consisently support Secor and engage him on the sideline.
“Secor’s always right by me and I talk to him all the time,” Williams said.
One of Secor’s favorite memories was against Northern Illinois last season. He hit a 43-yard field goal into 20 mph winds with less than a minute left before halftime. To him, it’s one of his proudest moments on the field.
“It was probably the hardest kick I’ve ever made,” he said. “I was pretty pumped after it went through.”
Secor claims to not have superstitions or rituals like some players, though he does wear the same pair of socks for every game and always puts his left shoe on first, even though he kicks with his right.
Once the kick comes off his foot, he tries to not look up. He judges the noises the crowd makes to tell if the kick was good, but said he can usually tell if he made it the second he strikes the football.
“Once I’m in my stance, my head goes down and everything disappears,” Secor said. “I get tunnel vision. I can’t hear a thing.”
Scott Secor Career Stats
Graphic by Savannah Smith
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