Football: Hutchins effective as both kicker and punter

In college football, being a place-kicker can be a terrifying job.

One kick can define your… In college football, being a place-kicker can be a terrifying job.

One kick can define your career or cost you your spot on the team. It can be the difference between a win and a loss, a National Championship and second place. One snap, one hold and one kick can change everything.

Just a couple weeks ago, the New Orleans Saints — the defending Super Bowl champions — swapped kickers after a usually steady Garrett Hartley missed what would have been a game-winning 29-yard field goal.

The result?

His replacement, John Carney, missed a kick of exactly 29 yards the following week against Arizona. Consistency, at all levels of kicking, is the name of the game.

Pitt has one of the nation’s best in senior Dan Hutchins. Hutchins, who was an All-Big East kicker last year and led the conference in scoring, field goals and field goal percentage, is even more unique for what he does when the Panthers aren’t in field goal range: punting.

That’s because Hutchins is one of the few dual punter and kicker specialists in the nation. Hutchins gives a lot of his credit to the people around him.

A big part of his success, he says, is working with Buddy Morris and James Smith, two of Pitt’s strength and conditioning coaches, during the offseason, a big factor in increasing leg strength.

“The weight room is a big deal,” Hutchins said.

He also finds council in a couple of NFL notables, including Pat McAfee, a Pittsburgh native and former West Virginia Mountaineer who now punts for the Indianapolis Colts. Another Pennsylvania local, Robbie Gould, who was a place-kicker for Penn State and now the Chicago Bears, gave Hutchins some inspiration as a middle-schooler.

“That was kind of the goal I had as a young kid,” Hutchins said. “Especially finishing middle school, going into high school, being competitive at a young age and just having a strong leg.”

Hutchins says he splits his time evenly between kicking and punting.

“I know that I can’t just slack off in kicking field goals or in punting. I have to take them both seriously,” he said.

Although his time on the practice field between kicking and punting is divided evenly, Hutchins isn’t shy about where his comfort zone is.

“I’m a kicker-turned-punter. I’m still more of a field goal guy, because of my size. But when I’m able to punt, get out on the field, I try to be serious. Let’s pin them back there and get some hang time,” said the 5’11’’ 190-pound Hutchins.

Place-kickers are put in some of the highest pressure positions of the 22 guys on the field. Everyone has his own way of handling that pressure, and Hutchins finds his confidence in what he has accomplished.

“Any time I go out there, I have to think about my teammates, what I’ve been through as a person, my family and this family here at Pittsburgh,” he said. “It’s almost like I go out there for them. I put a lot of it on myself.”

Hutchins, who made his way onto the team as a walk-on, has impressed a lot of people by working hard. But in the end, the good and the bad aspects of Pitt’s football performance can’t be solely placed on Dan Hutchins’ shoulders because the holders, long snappers and linemen are all integral parts of successfully getting a field goal or punt off.

Holder and backup quarterback Andrew Janocko, had nothing but praise for Hutchins.

“One thing I’ve learned from being around kickers is that kicking is something very challenging mentally,” Janocko said. “You’re cold, you’re on the sideline, and then you have to come right into the game and make a play. People don’t expect you to do anything but make the play.”

Hutchins has been named the Big East special teams Player of the Week twice already this season, and he leads the league in punting with a 46.8 yard average as well as in field goals made with 12.

But even with his consistency and talent, every player has his off-days. A few weeks ago, Hutchins and the special teams unit missed two opportunities at three points at Notre Dame. One came on a botched snap and the other on an uncharacteristic miss from 27 yards.

“Right now, you think I’d be out there, kicking a million from the right hash, 27 yards,” Hutchins said. “But I’ve been through that situation so many times on the practice field, that’s just on myself. I messed it up. I knew what I did wrong as soon as it happened.”

But since that game Hutchins is a perfect three-for-three on field goals and is averaging just over 48 yards per punt.

“Dan is very headstrong. All the attention he gets, and the success that he is having and will continue to have is very well deserved,” Janocko said. “He cares about this program and the University and what we represent.”

Hutchins has a degree in communication and plans to finish a second one in criminal justice. But what’s next after his time at Pitt is over?

“Well,” Hutchins said. “I’d like to chase the dream.”