North Carolina State University Athletics
COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: Placekicker John Deraney
9/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 6, 2005
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH - The season begins with a well-placed kick, preferably one that sails deep in the end zone.
So if NC State wins the toss prior to tonight's season-opener against Virginia Tech at Carter-Finley Stadium, the responsibility of getting the season off to a raucous start lies, quite literally, at the feet of junior placekicker John Deraney.
And Deraney has a new mantra for this year: No more whining.
He admits that last year, he got caught up in the fact that he was one of only 10 kickers in the country who handled all three responsibilities of kicking off, punting and placekicking.
That made him either a throw-back or an antique, he's not sure which. One thing he does know is that he used his unique situation as a crutch.
"Last year, if I missed a field goal, I would say `Well, I am doing all three,' " Deraney said. "But after the season, I talked it over with my coaches and my parents and I realized that it is just not as hard as some people make it out.
"So I really want to set my standards higher this season. I am not making excuses as much as I used to. I made excuses for everything last year."
Last season - Deraney's first as a three-way starter, his second as the Wolfpack's kickoff specialist - was both good and bad.
• As a kickoff specialist, he continued to boom the ball deep into the end zone, though not quite at the same rate as he did as a redshirt freshman in 2003. Last year, he kick19 of his 52 kicks weren't returned. The year before, 40 of his 75 kicks went for touchbacks. For his career, his rate of non-return is a remarkable 45.5 percent.
• As a punter, he had an excellent debut, averaging 41.9 yards per punt, the fourth-highest in the ACC. He landed 17 of his 60 kicks inside the 20-yard-line and had six punts of more than 50 yards, proving to be the perfect set-up man for the Wolfpack's No. 1-ranked defense.
• He has made every extra point he has attempted for the Wolfpack. In fact, he hasn't missed one in four years, going 21-for-21 as a high school senior, five-for-five as a redshirt freshman and 29-for-29 as a sophomore.
• His 13 field goals last year - including the personal-best 53-yarder in the victory over Virginia Tech - were the 12th most for a season in school history. But he attempted 23 kicks, meaning his rate of success was among the lowest in the ACC. That's something special teams coach Manny Diaz believes will improve significantly, now that Deraney has identified - and corrected - a technical flaw in his kicking technique.
So it is little wonder that one national publication called Deraney the Wolfpack's "most irreplaceable player."
But Deraney admits some of his missed field goals - he twice missed three in one game - weighed on his mind, shaking his normally solid confidence. But he also dwelled on his mistakes way too long. That's in the past, he says.
"Last year, on a scale of 1-to-10, I would say my mental state was a 2," Deraney said. "This year, it is probably an 8."
That's a far cry from his first career game against Western Carolina, when Deraney was "shaking in my boots," just hoping to get a foot on the ball.
Now, he can't wait to get caught up in the adrenaline rush of another season-opening kick. To tell the truth, that rush is his secret weapon.
"In practice, it is really hard to put the ball 10 yards deep in the end zone," Deraney said. "When I get out there, with the crowd going crazy, I get a couple of extra yards."
He hopes that will be the case if he ever finds himself in the situation Virginia Tech kicker Brandon Pace was in last year as time expired: lining up to win a game for his team.
"I was really happy he missed that kick, but in a way I sympathize for him," Deraney said. "I have never tried a game-winning field goal."
But today, as a new season finally begins, Deraney believes he has the right amount of confidence and the right attitude to do whatever it takes to help produce a win.
