Trailing eventual ACC Champion Wake Forest by just one point with less than nine seconds left on the clock, Duke was in excellent position to win the Sept. 9 game.
The field goal unit trotted onto the field as kicker Joe Surgan eyed a potential game-winning 24-yard attempt. The snap was down, the kick went up-and then came crashing back down to Earth with a thud after being blocked by the Demon Deacons' Chip Vaughn.
After Duke's field goal unit made just four out of its 11 attempts and had three kicks blocked last year, the Blue Devils know that their kicking game must improve in the 2007 season. Fortunately, Duke is already taking measures to alleviate the problem.
"We're placing a lot of emphasis on it," head coach Ted Roof said. "They're getting better and better."
For the Blue Devils, improvement begins at the position of place-kicker. Multiple individuals are vying for the position this season.
Ryan Pascioni, a fifth-year senior, is competing for the starting job despite having only joined the team in January-Pascioni spent the majority of his Duke career as a defender on the soccer team.
"It's a little different-you kick a different spot on the ball," Pascioni said. "The main thing is that in soccer, you have many opportunities to fix a mistake. In field goal kicking, you only have one shot."
Under rule 14.2.1 of the NCAA handbook, student athletes are allowed to compete for a maximum of five years at an institution. Only four of those years, however, can be used for one particular sport. So, Pascioni is using his last year of eligibility to kick an entirely different type of ball.
"Mentally, it's more difficult," Pascioni said. "Soccer, you're always playing. Here, you spend a lot of time on the bench before kicking."
Despite his lack of college football experience, Pascioni believes he can still effectively compete for the starting job. The senior kicked for his football team in high school and is confident that he can reprise his role as field goal kicker.
"I've just got to get more accurate and not miss," Pascioni said.
Pascioni will be challenging the incumbent kicker, Surgan, for playing time in the fall. That task, however, could prove to be difficult.
Surgan looked impressive in practice when he drilled field goals from 35 and 37 yards, respectively. Both kicks cleared the crossbar by several feet. Perhaps more importantly, the much-maligned sophomore is ready to put last season behind him.
"It's all on me," Surgan said. "It was never a confidence issue. I knew I could make every kick last year. I've been working a lot on fundamentals, which I took for granted, and I've also worked on getting the ball out much quicker."
The sophomore's hard work started before spring practice. During Spring Break, when most students were off relaxing and enjoying themselves, Surgan was at a one-week kicking camp working with specialists.
"I'm a firm believer that hard work like that pays dividends," Roof said. "We have an extremely high bar for him and I expect one heck of a year."
Despite facing sharp criticism on campus last season, Surgan's resolve is as strong as ever. Even though there are challengers for his starting spot, Surgan is worrying only about himself.
"My focus is on me," Surgan said. "I'm going to do the best that Joe Surgan can do."
Regardless of who wins the starting job, Duke knows that its kicking game is already making strides.
And if faced with a field goal opportunity with five seconds left and the game on the line, the Blue Devils hope that this time around they can convert.
Maybe having a member of the ACC champion soccer team waiting on the sidelines will be the extra lift Duke needs.
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