Call it superstitious or call it a fear, but no matter what you
label it, kicker Justin Medlock doesn’t want to talk about
it. He will tell you there is one number that he comes across on
the field that worries him, but won’t let anyone in on what
it is.
“I’m scared of one number, I just don’t want
it to be out there on the field,” he said. “I
can’t go into big details, but I guess it’s just an
unlucky number.”
While Medlock remains quiet on disclosing the mysterious number,
he’ll reveal a few other oddities about himself. He
doesn’t shave until he misses, and he will always stretch on
a specific part of the field, depending on what game it is.
Whatever he’s doing, it’s working.
Through the first four games of the 2004 season, Medlock is
leading the Pac-10 in field goal percentage, completing all seven
of his attempts, four of which came in last week’s win over
San Diego State. Three of those four field goals were from over 40
yards.
“With him having that leg and that accuracy, it’s
like having a security blanket for us,” junior quarterback
Drew Olson said. “But we don’t want to depend on him
too much.”
Indeed, Medlock’s performance last Saturday was a defining
contribution to the UCLA offense that scored two touchdowns, yet
finished the game with a 23-point margin of victory. Especially
with the Bruins still trying to open up their receiving game,
Medlock’s consistent kicking game has been vital.
In a season in which poor kicking has plagued college football,
Medlock’s reliability has allowed UCLA to become more
aggressive offensively near the goal line.
“The last field goal we kicked, the smart play probably
had you not been comfortable with your kicker, you probably should
have punted and put it in your defense’s hand,” said
special teams coach Brian Schneider, referring to Medlock’s
44-yard field goal with under two minutes left in the fourth
quarter against San Diego State. “But we felt more than
comfortable with him and he kicked the long field goal and put us
up by 23 points.”
Medlock has also been reasonably dependable in coverting extra
points, in which he is 14-for-15. His kicking partner, punter Chris
Kluwe, willingly takes the blame for the one miss in the victory
over Washington, to which Medlock humbly replies it was a series of
mistakes that led to the only blemish on the placekicker’s
record so far this season.
But with all of his success this season, Medlock doesn’t
want any attention and is trying to remain focused.
“A lot of people want to make a big deal out of the season
I’m having, but I try not to make a big deal out of
it,” he said. “It’s your job, you should have to
go out and get it done.”
Still, while Medlock cites his steady concentration as the
reason for his success this year, receiving praise from Schneider
as “the hardest working kid” he’s seen in terms
of kickers, one may need only have to look at his pregame ritual to
fully understand the positive results.
Depending on how many games UCLA will be into the season,
Medlock will do his stretches at that yard line before the
team’s game. For example, for the Bruins’ upcoming
game, their fifth of the season, he will be working out on the
five-yard line. Last week he was at the four-yard line.
And the one time he broke from his pregame tradition last
season?
The Silicon Valley Classic, a game in which he missed a field
goal on his only attempt.