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Most young boys dream of making the game-winning play for their favorite team, but few ever realize that opportunity. The go-ahead touchdown catch, the full count strikeout: These are all plays those boys have run through and imagined countless times...

Iowa Kicker's Dream Realized in Win Over Penn State

by daniel cox (Senior Writer)

28

445 reads

Opinion

November 09, 2008


Most young boys dream of making the game-winning play for their favorite team, but few ever realize that opportunity. The go-ahead touchdown catch, the full count strikeout: These are all plays those boys have run through and imagined countless times. And every time, it goes just the way they script it.

For sophomore Iowa kicker Daniel Murray, those backyard dreams came to life on Saturday night, but the series of events that led Murray to that situation wasn't exactly how he'd imagined it.

Murray, an Iowa City native and longtime Hawkeyes fan, was offered a full soccer scholarship to Kentucky but turned it down to walk on at the University of Iowa to chase his boyhood passions.

As a freshman Murray split the kicking duties and finished the season 7-10 on field goal attempts. Coming into this season, the job was his to lose.

By the fifth game, Murray had been demoted to "kickoff specialist," losing his job to freshman kicker Trent Mossbrucker. The change wasn't sudden, but in the fourth game of the season, when Murray missed a costly 35-yard field goal in a 21-20 loss to Pittsburgh, the writing was on the wall.

That last kick had to have been on his mind as he got the nod to attempt the game-winning kick against No. 3 Penn State. There was also some surprise from Murray that the coaches called his number.

"I was a little shocked. I've been waiting for them to put me out there," Murray said on the decision for him to go into the game.

"We made the decision right there at the end," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "We leaned more towards experience than anything else. It was a tough situation, and it was a little bit tricky out there, and we just leaned towards experience."

The "tricky" Ferentz was speaking about was the weather. It wasn't a night tailor-made to kick a game-winning kick. It was cold and the wind swirled, but perhaps this was simply part of the scenario for Murray. Add a national television audience and a top-three ranked opponent and it wouldn't get any better, or worse, depending on through whose eyes you looked.

Running back Shonn Greene took a knee and sought divine intervention. Defensive tackle Mitch King couldn't watch, instead opting to let the home crowd inform him of the outcome.

King later said, "I couldn't imagine what he was going through. I bet he was more nervous than I have ever been."

Murray confirmed that this has been his dream, saying, "I've always dreamed about it. I kept hoping and hoping I'd get my chance."

Saturday night the chance had finally arrived, with one second remaining.

The holder, Ryan Donahue, described those last few moments.

"I sat in my stance, looked down, and thought: 'I'm going to remember this for the rest of my life. Don't mess it up.'"

Donahue, trying to bring calmness to the situation, reminded Murray it was just one kick, like he'd done many times in practice. But Murray had waited a lifetime for this moment and there was nothing that could be done to change the outcome he'd acted out many times, not even a timeout from the Nittany Lions.

"He had ice in his veins," Donahue said.

And with one stroke of the leg, the entire landscape of college football was changed, yet again, and one young man's dreams became a reality.

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28 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. SportMonk 7 months ago

    Another awesome read, Daniel. One of my best friends is the kicker for Oklahoma State, so I love it when kickers get some love from us writers. They're generally overlooked unless they make/miss that potential game-winning field goal and under-appreciated for all the good work they do when it isn't make or break.

    ***** and POTD.

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    • daniel cox 7 months ago

      monk, you're right and i guess that's half the reason why this story is relevant.

      everyone loves a story of redemption though!

      thanks for reading and for the pick!

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  2. Kara Martin 7 months ago

    I'm not a big college football watcher I admit, unless Texas is playing, but I watched this game yesterday and was blown away! I had goosebumps in that last second and such joy for that young man and his team. It could not have been a more perfect ending! Great job!

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    • daniel cox 7 months ago

      kara, it was a great ending. it's the kind of thing that makes college football so great.

      thanks for reading and thanks so much for the pick!

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  3. Michael Cline 7 months ago

    Excellent job with this Daniel. What a feeling it must have been to not only get the chance but to come out in the end the hero.

    Too bad he spoiled Ohio State's Rose Bowl chance! Friggin' Hawkeyes.

    5*, POTD.

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    • daniel cox 7 months ago

      michael, yeah...like i said before, for him there was probably quite a bit of personal redemption involved. must be a great feeling.

      sorry 'bout the buckeyes...there's always next year...oh wait...

      thanks for reading and for the pick!

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  4. 12 7 months ago

    Nice job Daniel, and a great story. Daniel Murray had to be on cloud nine when the kick went through the uprights.

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  5. Sayre Bedinger 7 months ago

    I really liked this article dude. It's really great to have this kind of insight that most people would never know to research. Another great find for you and another compelling read.

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    • daniel cox 7 months ago

      sayre,

      thanks for checking in. yeah, i heard about this on the radio driving home last night and i had to find out more.

      i'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the pick!

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  6. Brian Scott 7 months ago

    Great job! A human interest story inside of a big win - way to go!

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  7. Eric Quackenbush 7 months ago

    I love my Nits, but that kicker for Iowa did his job right at the end, and tongue in cheek, I was happy for him. Great article, 5*'s, POTD.

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    • daniel cox 7 months ago

      eric, yeah, i guess if your team is going to win that's how you want it to happen, right?

      not much of a better way to go down...

      thanks for reading, as always, and thanks for the pick!

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  8. Anthony Elias 7 months ago

    i felt good for that kid. he did psu and the big ten a favor. much more to come on this bold statement.

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  9. Gray Ghost 7 months ago

    D.C., as always, a great read. I loved it. You connected us all with the dream come true. Great job.
    *****POTD

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    • daniel cox 7 months ago

      gg, haven't heard from you in a while. i'm glad you enjoyed it.

      thanks, as always, for reading and definitely thanks for the pick!

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  10. Nick Vandiver 7 months ago

    wow, danny, great article. these kinds of articles are my favorite, the ones that take inside the reality of something big and talks about what really went on. that kicker must have felt like he was on top of the world at that moment, and i can't imagine a feeling much better than that.it was a great game, too, i love upsets.
    great,great read danny, i'm voting for this to be pick of the day

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    • daniel cox 7 months ago

      nick, i agree. i'd imagine it's a pretty awesome feeling. he shouldn't have to pay for dinner ever again in iowa city.

      and you're right, the storylines inside the big story are what make sports interesting sometimes.

      thanks for the pick!

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  11. Mike Dockery 7 months ago

    Nice article, Dan. This seems to be the year for great kicker stories - how 'bout that kid that was pulled from the stands at Texas Tech?

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  12. A to the H 7 months ago

    Great article, great game.

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  13. Bob Warja 7 months ago

    Daniel. well written and thanks for making us aware of a pretty cool human interest story. We so often think of athletes, even college atheletes, as "just doing their job", and forget they have emotions, they have dreams. Good job.

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    • daniel cox 7 months ago

      bob, thanks for reading. i appreciate it. this one was too good to pass up. i heard about it and was curious. it's such a great story. and you're right about college athletes...they do have emotions, etc and it's nice to hear about them. even better when they get to live them. thanks again!

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  14. Zach Norris 7 months ago

    good article. I'm a hawkeye fan who probably held his breath for a couple minutes at the end of that game, it was insanely intense...glad to see others realize a good story when they see one.

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