Q&A With Scott Rudolph
9/27/2000 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 27, 2000
By Douglas Drabik Athletic Media Relations
GameDay: What made you decide to walk on coming into your freshman year?
Scott Rudolph: One of the assistant coaches talked to me. I snapped a few balls for him and he told me to come and walk on. Coach Vanderlinden said that if I did well I could earn a scholarship. From my sophomore year on, I was given a scholarship.
GD: How tough is it to balance football with your schoolwork?
SR: There's enough time to balance the two, but there's not enough time to go out every night of the week. I try to stay ahead of the game. I like to get things done a week or so in advance.
GD: What first got you interested in long snapping?
SR: In ninth grade, we didn't have a long snapper on the JV squad. The coach suggested I should try it, so I did and it's something I kept up with. I worked very hard at it, snapping like four or five days a week over the summer and it really paid off. It's something I really like doing.
GD: What do like most about being a long snapper?
SR: It's kind of like being a kicker or a punter, it's mostly mental. A lot of it is keeping your confidence. The notoriety is different. A lot of guys like to be known for a great catch or something. As for me, the only time I'm ever known is when I mess up. I like to keep it so no one knows me out here.
GD: What makes someone a good long snapper?
SR: I think the hardest part of long snapping is blocking. When I go out there, I don't even think about the snap, all I think about is what I have to do to block a guy. What makes a good long snapper is hard work. It doesn't matter if you can snap the ball back there if you're not going to block your guy.
GD: What goes through your mind right before you snap the ball?
SR: On punts, I always have it in my mind where I am snapping the ball, but I mainly think about whether I am going right or left to block my guy. In a field goal situation, I am thinking about following through and hitting the target every time.
GD: What are your personal goals?
SR: My goals are to make good snaps all the time and block well. I don't want to give up any blocked punts. My overall goal is to help this team win. It's my last year and I want to get to a bowl game.
GD: Who has had the biggest influence in your life so far?
SR: My father. He always pushed me to do whatever I wanted. He coached me all through baseball and basketball. He never coached me in football. He always said if you don't want to do it, you don't have to, but I kept up with it.
GD: What has been your most memorable moment as a Maryland Terrapin?
SR: When we beat West Virginia last year to get to 3-0. Being 3-0, we got the respect of all the students on campus.
