By: MATT MARKEY (ToledoBlade.com) — COLUMBUS – Almost 10 years ago, Devin Barclay was beginning a career in professional soccer at the age of 17. Four years ago, Barclay saw that once-promising opportunity end when he was released by the Columbus Crew. Fast forward to three days from now, when Barclay the football player might be called on to kick a game-winning field goal for Ohio State when the Buckeyes play at Penn State. He will have in his powerful leg the opportunity to keep the Buckeyes’ dreams of a potential fifth straight Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl trip alive. “Things have a strange way of working out sometimes,” Barclay said last weekend after he was summoned to kick for Ohio State in the second quarter of a lop-sided win over New Mexico State. Senior starter Aaron Pettrey had his knee torn up by a low block, and had to be helped off the field. With redshirt freshman Ben Buchanan not dressed for the game because of illness, Barclay, the former soccer player for the D.C. United and the Tampa Bay Mutiny, became Ohio State’s kicker. “It’s a little nerve-wracking, because as much as you try and have yourself ready, you don’t expect a situation like that,” Barclay said. “Going out there in front of 100,000 fans — you don’t get that kind of crowd at soccer games. That was different, but it really got my adrenaline going.” Barclay, a 26-year-old junior, hit all three extra points he attempted and was good on a 29-yard field goal try while missing from 36 and 47 yards out.Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said Pettrey, who yesterday underwent surgery to repair his knee, could possibly be back for a postseason bowl game, but that Barclay and Buchanan would handle the kicking for the Buckeyes as they go through a difficult final stretch that has them facing Penn State and Michigan on the road and Big Ten leader Iowa in Ohio Stadium.

“So between Devin and Ben, we’ve got to step up,” Tressel said. Pettrey is tied for fourth in the Big Ten in scoring after making 13 of 19 field goal tries, and 28 of 29 extra points this season. His longest field goal was a 52-yarder, but Tressel said he does not expect the same kind of distance from Barclay or Buchanan. “Devin or Ben, I don’t think they are going to be your 57-yard kind of guys,” Tressel said. “We were very comfortable with Aaron from anywhere. He had a great leg. I’ve seen him hit 63 or 64-yard field goals in practice, and not just standing there alone, but with a rush coming and the whole deal, so these guys aren’t quite there.” Ohio State junior wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, who has worked as Barclay’s holder in practice, said Pettrey’s injury will force the Buckeyes to adjust. “Obviously, that’s a big loss because he’s been a key factor in our scoring all year long,” Sanzenbacher said. “He’s a guy we’ve relied on. But hopefully, we have some other guys that can take up the slack. The guys that are behind the starters have spent just as much time working, if not more, than the starters.” Tressel said not having Pettrey will impact the way the Buckeyes handle certain field position situations and potential scoring opportunities. “It might change it a little bit – we’ll just have to see how Devin and Ben are looking and the conditions, the wind, the footing, and all those different things,” Tressel said. Barclay said if he gets the call to handle the kicking on Saturday against Penn State, he will be ready for the pressure that accompanies it.

“Well, the stakes are a little bit higher obviously, because they are rivals in the Big Ten. I just have to do what I’m comfortable doing every day,” he said. “It’s a little different kicking because you don’t get that many opportunities and you have to make the best of it. It’s definitely going to be a great experience, and I’m ready for it.”

No related posts.