Joe Garcia flubbed a key extra point try on Saturday night.
But Kansas University’s senior kicker also boomed a 50-yard field goal with 6:04 remaining to give the Jayhawks a 23-20 nonconference football victory over Alabama-Birmingham at Memorial Stadium.
“I was not depressed or anything. I forgot about it right away,” said Garcia, whose chip-shot PAT attempt sailed right with 13:47 left, preventing the Jayhawks from busting a 20-20 tie.
“This whole summer, my dad’s been teaching me to not worry about the kick before. It’s what I was doing last year. It’s one kick at a time this year.”
It was definitely a tale of two kicks for Garcia on Saturday night.
His stinker kick came moments after Roger Ross hauled in a 59-yard game-tying touchdown pass from quarterback Dylen Smith.
“On the extra point, the band was playing, the crowd was getting loud because we’d just scored. Our snapper didn’t hear ‘set,’ and I usually go on ‘set,'” Garcia explained.
“I heard ‘set’ so I took my first step, then I stopped. He (Bob Schmidt) snapped it because he heard the second ‘set’ and my steps were off and it went to the right.”
Garcia’s teammates encouraged him as he trudged off the field with the game deadlocked.
“A couple guys were yelling at me that my time was going to come,” Garcia said. “(Punter Joey) Pelfanio said, ‘You need to relax. You’re going to kick a big one for us.'”
Garcia’s chance for atonement came when UAB coach Watson Brown declined a holding penalty following a Smith incomplete pass on third and five from the 33.
KU kicker Joe Garcia
Brown appeared to be daring KU to kick, and kick KU did.
“I don’t care if they underestimated me,” Garcia said. “We put it through and won the game.”
Garcia knew he had the leg for the kick.
The Olathe North standout converted a 51-yarder against Oklahoma his freshman year and had good distance prior to Saturday’s game.
“Before the game I was kicking 47 (yards) against the wind pretty easy,” Garcia said.
“It was great to get out in front of our fans and get the chance to put it through. I knew they (fans) were iffy because of what happened before, but hopefully this will put it out of their minds.”
KU coach Terry Allen had confidence in his kicker. He didn’t hesitate in telling Garcia to take the field immediately after Brown declined the infraction.
“I think he was frustrated at some of the holding penalties and in the heat of the moment yelled, ‘field goal.’ It felt good when I kicked it. I knew it was right down the middle,” Garcia said.
Garcia didn’t want credit for the victory.
“Our defense played great. They kept us in the game long enough to put us in position to win the game,” Garcia said.
Indeed, the Jayhawks had five sacks of UAB quarterback Daniel Dixon.
Outside linebacker Algie Atkinson stormed in for a sack, forcing a fumble on the game’s final play as UAB’s nine play, 28-yard drive stalled well out of field goal range at the UAB 45-yard line.
KU’s defense also came up big in holding UAB to a field goal with 14:09 to play. That score gave the Blazers a 20-14 lead.
David Winbush returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards and a play later Smith hit Ross for the game-tying score. Smith also had TD runs of one and 18 yards.
“We fell behind and I was kind of getting down, being a senior,” Winbush said. “(Before kickoff) I said, ‘Let it come to you.’ I caught it and had a good return because of good blocking. We all stuck together and won that game. Everybody on offense contributed in different ways.”
