Dec. 18, 2008

This is the third in a six-part series celebrating Maryland football seniors. This segment features place-kicker Obi Egekeze.

By Chris Chambers, Athletics Media Relations Staff

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Walking up the stairs of Gossett Football Team House, Obi Egekeze looks like a wide receiver strutting a Georgia swagger with a huge smile. However, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior uses his right leg to boot the football in between the goal posts on Saturdays for the Terps.

Egekeze is the only place-kicker under Ralph Friendgen's tenure to earn a scholarship. He was the No. 4-rated kicker in the 2004 recruiting class by Rivals.com. After his redshirt season, Egekeze injured his quad covering a kickoff during a scrimmage before the beginning of the 2005 season.

In his first season as the Terps starting place-kicker in 2007, Egekeze impressed his coaches and teammates. He did not miss a PAT during the season - a streak that continues to this day. Egekeze ranked sixth in the conference in both kick scoring and overall scoring. He set the top mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference by connecting on 13 of 14 field goals attempts during conference play.

Despite a rough start to the 2008 season that saw him miss his first five attempts, Egekeze, now a senior, found his stride during the Sept. 20 game against Eastern Michigan, connecting on three field goals as the Terps cruised to a 51-24 victory.

"The beginning of the season was definitely a trying, learning experience," Egekeze recalls. "It is something I will look on later down the road, and apply it to life."

Egekeze received encouragement from his teammates and coaches during his stretch of missed field goals. Instead of lamenting on each miss, Egekeze said staying focused helped him maintain his confidence and rekindle his kicking ability.

"People reached out to help me, you know," Egekeze said. "Coach Friedgen made me step up my level in practice. I focused on the next kick at hand. I believe in my ability no matter what."

Sophomore holder and punter Travis Baltz felt he shared responsibility for the missed field goals against Delaware and Middle Tennessee State to start the season.

"This is my first year as the holder so I felt responsible," Baltz said. "There are no excuses. We have to keep working with each other. Obi is a great kicker, and he is always bettering himself to improve."

After successfully booting both of his field goal attempts during a win at Clemson on Sept. 27, Egekeze continued to build momentum during a victory over Wake Forest two weeks later. The Augusta, Ga., native connected on a quartet field goals against the Demon Deacons, marking the first four field goal performance by a Maryland kicker in nearly two years.

Egekeze then found himself in a defining moment on Oct. 25 against NC State, during the same game in which he hit a career-long 46-yarder. With the game tied at 24-24, rain hitting his face with gustering winds, Egekeze had 6 seconds to define the Terps. He split the up-rights with a 20-yard field and the Terps were victorious. Baltz and Egekeze embraced each other while the rest of special team unit crowded around the senior kicker offering congratulations.

"That kick was indescribable. I felt elated," Egekeze said. "The most important thing was that we won. I couldn't dwell on it too long because we have so much more to accomplish this season."

Not to be outdone, Egekeze kicked yet another game-winner three weeks later in a 17-15 win over North Carolina. Facing similar weather conditions as he did against the Wolfpack, Egekeze booted a 26-yard field goal with 1:42 remaining, enabling the Terps to beat their fourth ranked opponent of the season.

Thanks to his strong performance during the ACC portion of the schedule, Egekeze, who also connected twice at Virginia Tech and once versus Florida State, finished his career having successfully converted 25 of 30 (83.3 percent) field goal attempts during conference play. He ranks fourth in the ACC and tied for 35th in the nation this season in field goals (1.25 per game), and he now ranks seventh all-time in school history with 32 career field goals.

The finance and international business major is no different from any other member of the Terrapin football squad. However, the handful of seconds Egekeze is on the field can directly impact the state of a game, and mentality of being a place-kicker cannot be overstated. Ask Egekeze about the distance of a particular kick and he is quick to respond.

"I make it a point to never know how far I'm kicking," Egekeze said. "I want to kick the ball the same whether it is a 50-yard attempt or a PAT. I stay focused and loose. Then when the moment comes, swing through the ball."

As a senior, Ekegeze aspires to continue to play after his Maryland career finishes. But with his focus and conviction, as well as the strength he possesses in his right leg, Ekegeze need not pay attention to how far he has to go. With his focus on the means to the end rather than the end itself, it does not matter.