I’ve been kicking a ball my whole life and so it’s just kind of the same motion I’ve been doing. It’s natural. So it’s good – Matt Gay
SALT LAKE CITY — Perfection is all that Matt Gay has known as Utah’s kicker. Through four games, he’s made all 14 of his field-goal attempts and the same number of PATs.
The former Utah Valley University soccer player leads the nation in field-goal percentage, field goals per game (3.5) and scoring (14 points per game).
“It feels great,” said Gay, who has made four more field goals than any other kicker in the country to this point. “It’s good to be having success and see hard work pay off.”
Gay has taken an unusual path. The 23-year-old is playing football for the first time since his senior year at Orem High School, where he graduated in 2012. Then came an LDS Church mission to Houston and a couple of seasons of soccer at UVU. He walked on to Utah football in preseason camp and won the kicking job early in the season-opener against North Dakota.
A trip to BYU for the rivalry game followed. After that, a home game against San Jose State and the Pac-12 opener at Arizona.
Throughout it all, Gay hasn’t missed.
"Nothing seems to faze him. He has the perfect mentality for a kicker because he is mentally tough. He is a very confident kid,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “He is mechanically and technically sound. He has a strong leg and he gets the ball out quick. He has just been a huge plus for us this year. He has done a great job.”
Gay’s production, obviously, has a lot to do with the 18th-ranked Utes getting off to a 4-0 start. They’re 1-0 in Pac-12 play and leading the South Division entering Saturday night’s homecoming game against Stanford at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
As the season progresses, Gay insists that continued perfection isn’t something that weighs heavily on his mind. He’s determined just to continue with the same mechanics and routine every game.
“I just go through the motions and do what I’m here to do and kick,” said Gay, who added that he feels pretty comfortable and confident. “It’s just me on the field and I’ve just got to kick a field goal. So I kind of block everything else out and block the noise out, block the fans out and everything.”
Gay attributes much of his success to playing soccer at a high level and in a lot of high-pressure situations. Mental and physical preparation are involved, as is trusting yourself when called upon.
“I’ve been kicking a ball my whole life and so it’s just kind of the same motion I’ve been doing,” Gay said. “It’s comfortable. It’s natural. So it’s good.”
Although Gay has already faced some pressure situations with the Utes, he anticipates more to come as the team enters a season-ending stretch of eight straight conference games.
“Football is a game of possessions and going back-and-forth, and I think there’s going to be some games with some tougher competition coming up, that there’s going to be a lot riding on some field goals and things like that,” Gay said. “Maybe some game-winners and things like that.”
Gay vows he’ll be ready for the challenge and is eager to step up and do whatever the team needs him to do. His goal, not surprising, is to make every single kick.
“I’ve always thrived in pressure situations, so I think I’m ready to take on whatever comes my way,” Gay said.
*****
Stanford (3-2, 2-1) at No. 18 Utah (4-0, 1-0)
Rice-Eccles Stadium
Saturday, 8:15 p.m.
TV: FS1
Radio: ESPN 700 AM
Email: dirk@deseretnews.com
Twitter: @DirkFacer