WVU football kicker Jack Cassidy makes dream come true by kicking game-winning field goal to beat Cincinnati
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MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia football had a long way to go to get into field goal range for kicker Jack Cassidy. Cassidy had a big leg -- Rich Rodriguez nicknamed him Big Jack -- but not enough to make a kick at the 1-yard line, where the Mountaineers started the game-winning drive.
For most of the drive, Cassidy watched the drive by his net. When the two-minute warning hit, Cassidy took a couple of practice kicks into the nylon. Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. hit receiver Prince Strachan for 41 yards on the other side of the two-minute break, and it suddenly became more real for Cassidy. He went from no-step kicks to one.
Hawkins hit Strachan again to put WVU in field goal range. The nerves started to kick in.
"Nerves are an important part of the game," Cassidy said. "Pressure. I'm sure you care about what you're going, so you have to recognize that they're there first and foremost, to overcome them."
Rodriguez ran the clock down to a few seconds. Now, it was Cassidy's turn. He trotted out, with Macguire Moss on the snap and punter Bryan Hansen on the hold. Seeing those two provided some extra confidence for Cassidy.
"I'm just so lucky with Macguire snapping and Bryan holding," Cassidy said. "I just know it's going to be perfect every time. There's kind of a reassurance with that every time you go out there. If you just do your job, everything will come to fruition."
The ball was snapped, and Cassidy punched it through. But it wasn't quick enough to get it in before Cincinnati called a timeout to ice him. He had to kick again.
Same process, and Cassidy drilled it again, handing the Mountaineers the 45-42 win over the Bearcats. It was the first win of Big 12 play, and broke a three-game losing streak.
Cassidy was swarmed by his teammates and was quickly placed on a teammate’s shoulders. Rodriguez was ecstatic to get back in the win column.
"I felt really good," Rodriguez said. "He was banging the ball all day. It wasn't just in the goalpost, it was in the middle of the goalpost. He's been really good with that."
To say Cassidy had been dreaming of that moment since he was little would be lying. Cassidy wasn't kicking field goals when he was a little kid, and was instead playing Gaelic football in Ireland, where he was born. He had some pressure kicks in Gaelic football, but nothing close to what he experienced Saturday afternoon.
"I've probably been in that situation a lot more," Cassidy said. "Those moments are kind of different, too. You can be 15-years of age missing a free kick at the end of the game or something. You think the worst, maybe you're not going to wake up tomorrow, or something like that, but life goes on, and then they can help build you to these moments today. Definitely thankful to have the memories."
Cassidy picked up football football just before last season, and adjusted right away. Counting the season at Western Kentucky, this was Cassidy's 20th game playing football. He went a perfect 3-for-3 for the Hilltoppers and was a perfect 5-for-5 heading into the day.
Cassidy didn't have the best start to the day. He had been known for his consistent kickoffs, and he shanked one of them out of bounds, giving Cincinnati the ball at the 35. Cassidy also missed a field goal earlier in the game from 49 yards. It was the first field goal of his short career.
Rodriguez still trusted him at the end to give him his moment. That provided an extra boost of confidence.
"Then, coach Rod had to, after missing early in the game, give me an opportunity to win the game," Cassidy said. "That just reassured my mind of his trust in me and the unit. Thankfully kicked for three."
Rodriguez gave Cassidy the nod to make up for all the mistakes and fulfill his dream of a little over a year old, of kicking a game-winning field goal. A field goal that puts the Mountaineers back in the win column for the first time in a month.
"Hitting a game-winning field goal that's probably one of the best things I've ever had in my entire life," Cassidy said. "You dream of it, but you don't want to make too much of the moment either."