Just for Kicks: Buddies Foltz, Brown and Baseball

Riley Sees the Light; So Do Gangwish, Pierson-El

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Last Monday, Nebraska Coach Mike Riley launched his press conference with “some good stuff” about parts of the program “that are going well”. Riley chose to lead off with the Huskers’ kicking game, honing in on junior punter Sam Foltz (Greeley, Neb.) and sophomore placekicker Drew Brown (Southlake, Texas). Those two dedicated specialists not only are great friends, but determined to do whatever they can to get Nebraska football back on the right track.

Riley raved about Foltz’s remarkable ability to kick into the wind and how he outkicked his opponent. Foltz’s role as the holder for Brown is equally stellar, giving the Huskers an “awesome” tandem opportunity. “Drew is kicking well and kicking off well,” Riley said. “That kickoff at the end, there was a plan where we basically kicked across the field into the wind.” Brown's placement and the depth of the ball caused confusion for Wisconsin and created “a great opportunity to make them have a really long field to win the game,” Riley said.

KC Royals, Texas Rangers Split Loyalties Between Foltz and Brown

Foltz and Brown both have talent that could take them to the next level of their respective crafts, but right now, they are totally focused on beating Minnesota Saturday in Minneapolis with one exception for each…Foltz is a diehard Kansas City Royals fan and was giddy after his favorite team came back to eliminate Houston Wednesday night and advance to the American League Championship Series.

Growing up and playing prep football in metropolitan Dallas, Brown is an equally staunch baseball fan of the Texas Rangers, who lost to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, ending their chance to play Kansas City for the American League title and advance to Major League Baseball’s World Series. “I’m upset with how everything went down,” Brown said. “I watched the last four innings of the game and that seventh inning was unreal,” he said. “I could hardly watch it because it hurt me so bad. I love going to as many Ranger games as I can when I'm home.”

Friendship Features Golf, Having another Older Brother on Campus

Sam Foltz remembers Brown making his official visit and getting the chance to host the Husker kicker after the Northwestern game. "It was my redshirt freshman season and my first year punting here," Foltz recalled. "We connected from the get-go, and I knew he was going to be a special kicker. He already has that mindset. He’s kicked in big games. Nothing really rattles Drew."

The two were an instant bond and built a great friendship. They go golfing together and hang out on weekends together. "If he ever has a question, he comes to me," Foltz said. "If he has something bugging him, he knows he can come to me. I’m kind of an older brother figure outside of Kris and his younger brother. I feel like I’m kind of the resource here for Drew. He’s just an unbelievable kicker and an unbelievable person as well.”

The feeling is mutual. When Brown came to Nebraska his first summer, "Sam was the guy who took me under his wing and showed me how to work hard, so I could be the best I can be," Brown said. "I have more than enough trust in him, whether it’s holding or punting or whatever the situation is. He’s helped me in practice, in games, in the offseason. Our friendship is unbreakable. We do a lot of things together, whether it’s with football or outside of football. It’s unbelievable. We love to go golfing or just hit some balls or come to my house and just watch some TV. Sam’s one of my best friends, and we'll be friends for a very long time. It helps having someone like Sam to model my craft. He’s a guy that every team in the country could use on and off the field.  I appreciate everything he does."

State of the Union, According to Two Caring, Hard-Working Leaders

For Husker fans who want to know how two caring, hard-working leaders see the Huskers' state of its football union, we are happy to share. "We didn’t expect to get off to this start," Foltz said. "This wasn’t in any of our goals – to be a 2-4 football team – but we can control our attitude and we can control our effort. And that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to go to Minneapolis with intentions to win. We’re going to start a whole new season. We’re going to go up there and, hopefully, start off 1-0. We’re going to grind out these last six games and see what happens. Anything can happen. It’s been preached in the locker room. We can still end up being an 8-4 football team if we set our minds to it and get it right. That’s the plan we’re hoping to execute.”

Brown is every bit as confident as his buddy. "We rely on the seniors and the leadership of this team," he said. "We will not quit or feel sorry for ourselves. It all starts on the Sunday after the game and carries to the next one. We’ve answered the bell and continue to work hard. We have a team full of guys who are tough, haven’t given up and will not give up. Our attitude has been great. No one’s down at all. We always practice hard because that’s why we’re here. Our coaches have stayed real positive because they know we could have a lot more wins than we do now. It hasn’t gone our way at all, but we can’t feel sorry for ourselves."

Even though the kickers' interviews are separate, Foltz and Brown communicate from the same pulpit. "Anything that we get stacked up against, we’re a resilient group of guys," Foltz said. "We’re standing behind our coaches. We believe they have the recipe for success. We’re going to keep following our leaders, too. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re just going to execute game plans and, hopefully, start winning these close games and begin moving forward.”

Brown Vows to Trust His Daily Training and Respond to the Pressure

Kicking develops and improves with experience. "You get a lot better in pressure situations," Brown said. "When the crowd gets really loud like it did against Wisconsin, you just have to block it all out. You can’t worry about things you can’t control. You just have to trust yourself."

The same logic applies to a team perspective. "You have to come to work every day and give your best, whether it’s film study, practice or lifting weights," Brown said. "You have to focus on what you need to do to help the team or what the other team is going to do to stop you. It can be really tough when you lose four games the way we lost them. It’s not like we’ve been blown out of any game. We’ve lost them all on the last play of the game.

"When something like that happens, you have to trust your teammates, trust your coaches and trust yourself. You have to do everything you can to prepare for the game and turn it around. Me personally, I just have to continue to do what I know I can do and be ready for any situational moment, whether it’s an onside kick, a field goal in the middle of the game or a field goal at the end of the game. Whatever the situation may be, I have to keep my mind in the place that it needs to be because my team needs me."

Foltz Goes from Farm to Fame and Hopes His Royals Can Do the Same

Check out the Sam Foltz photo above. Even before he arrives at Memorial Stadium like he did last Saturday, his mind is focused on what he has to do to help his team. For Foltz, kicking began as a young boy when he lived on a farm five miles from Greeley, Neb. "My dad is a farmer and in the fall, when football’s the prevalent sport to be playing and what’s popular, he was out in the fields either combining or picking corn with my grandpa," Foltz said. "My brother was older and in high school so I didn’t really have anybody to play with. I didn’t have a whole lot of buddies to call up and play either, so I kind of picked up a football and figured one easy way to play football, for me, was to punt the ball as far as I could, then go pick it up and run back. I did that over and over and over. We live on about five acres of land so our yard is huge. It’s kind of like a little football field, but it was very, very hilly to say the least.”

Growing up on a farm also helps a young boy connect to baseball and listen to games that are played closer to the family farm home than anywhere else. "I watched every pitch in last night's Royals' win over Houston," Foltz said. "This summer we went down to Kansas City and watched a game against the Tigers. (Teammates)  Spencer Lindsay and Sam Hahn went with me. Spencer's a big Cleveland Indians fan so that was awesome to have him down there, in enemy territory. I mean, I’ve watched every game so far of the ALDS and I plan on watching every pitch in the ALCS, too. It’s just great to have a guy like Alex Gordon on the team that you can really support and know that he was a Husker at one time. It’s nice to have the Royals back on top and a powerhouse again. My dad always talks about the 1980s Royals and George Brett and all that good stuff. They’ve been through ups and the downs, and it’s fun to see them back on top.”

Somehow, Wednesday Night's Study Hall and Baseball Cheers Didn't Mix

Foltz, Hahn and two buddies watched Wednesday night's game on the sixth floor of Memorial Stadium, where they were studying. I asked if there was any hooting and hollering in a study hall area." Honestly. I think we kind of made a few kids up there mad because it cleared out kind of fast," Foltz said. "There was a pretty big crowd up there studying, and I think we got a little rowdy and maybe a little too loud in certain spots. It cleared out pretty fast and gave us a little more elbow room.” A certain Texas Ranger fan even ended Wednesday night with a disturbing feeling before going to bed. "I'm pretty sure," Brown said, "that Sam is going to let me know that the Rangers lost."

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