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YSU kicker Zak Kennedy starts strong
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Zak Kennedy spent eight months preparing for his first collegiate field goal and it still snuck up on him.
Youngstown State had driven 60 yards in nine plays on the first offensive possession of the season, but stalled at Pitt’s 5-yard-line, setting up a 22-yard attempt for the true freshman from Cardinal Mooney.
“When I first stepped out there and they called field goal, I didn’t what was going on,” said Kennedy, who credited snapper Steve Wethli and holder Tanner Garry for doing their jobs well. “It was just a crazy feeling, everyone in the stands looking at me.
“But I felt confident, I felt I was going to make it and I put it through.”
It was the perfect start for Kennedy, who struggled with inconsistency during the spring (he enrolled early after graduating high school in December) and early summer before coming on strong late in training camp.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t score [a touchdown] on our first drive but for him to get his feet wet with a shorter kick, it sure helps him,” YSU coach Bo Pelini said.
Midway through the second quarter, things got a little tougher. The Panthers had scored 17 straight points and were threatening to break the game open when Pelini sent Kennedy out for a 42-yard attempt.
Kennedy made that one, too, equaling the longest kick of his predecessor, Joey Cejudo. Minutes later, Kennedy made his first extra point, then took over kickoff duties in the second half after the Panthers returned Connor McFadden’s ensuing kickoff for an 89-yard touchdown late.
“I didn’t kick off all week until the game, and Coach [Richard] McNutt came up to me during the game and was like, ‘Can you do it?’” Kennedy said. “I was pretty confident that I could.”
Kennedy finished 3-for-3 on field goals —he hit a 23-yarder early in the third quarter — and 4-for-4 on extra points. He also averaged 61 yards on his four kickoffs, compared to 58.2 for McFadden.
“He went through a two- or three-day stretch [in training camp] where he struggled,” Pelini said. “He locked back in, didn’t panic and since that day he really turned it on. He’s experienced the consistency of watching the ball go through. He’s been hitting it solid and I think with that, he’s gained a lot of confidence.”
More importantly, Kennedy feels he has gained his teammates’ confidence. something that wasn’t an issue in high school where he earned special mention All-Ohio as a senior.
“During practice and everything, no one was really confident in me,” Kennedy said. “It was the Friday before the game and I went up to talk to Coach Pelini and he was like, ‘I think you’re ready to go.’ That helped me out a lot.
“Just [having] your teammates be confident about you, that’s the biggest thing. That was definitely the hardest thing to overcome, through spring ball and training camp. Coming from high school, I had a good career down at Mooney and everyone believed in me, the whole fan base and everything. In high school it was easy to just go out and kick. It’s hard to get all the trust back in you.”
Now that it’s there, he plans to do everything he can to keep it.
“I just feel like, as a specialist, I feel that every day I go out to practice that I’m the hardest-working kid out there in the nation,” Kennedy said. “And I just know that all my hard work is going to pay off. I’ll leave it in God’s hands and everything will be all right.”