Ferrara getting his kicks at University of Maryland

Hicksville's Nick Ferrara surprised a lot of people last fall when the freshman won the kicking job at the University of Maryland just two days before the season-opener against Cal.

What was more surprising was the strong season the St. Anthony's graduate had, which included field goals of 50 and 48 yards, and a winning 26-yard kick against James Madison.

He was named ACC co-specialist of the week once and was selected to several freshman All-American teams.

So what will he do for an encore?

Ferrara, who still is haunted by a blocked field goal against Middle Tennessee State, said he isn't thinking about it. He's more concerned with improving.

"Last season was last season," Ferrara said. "I still have to work on things. Like being more consistent and getting more height on my ball." He also doesn't want to see any more blocked kicks, he said.

Ferrara proved his worth quickly last season. So much so that he was handling all of the kicking duties - field goals, kickoffs, punts - at various times throughout the season.

Handling all three jobs wasn't the easiest thing to do for Ferrara.

"It's difficult to do all three," he said. "It really drained my stamina . . . But I did it by focusing on just one at a time."

Ferrara's attention to detail paid off. He finished fourth in the ACC in field goals made per game, eighth in the conference in field goal percentage and points per game. It's not often that a freshman is tested and relied on by a coaching staff so early in a career.

"It was great to see [the coaches] put faith in me,'' Ferrara. "It was a huge game-changer for me."

Having so much responsibility also has made Ferrara ready for just about anything.

"At game time, nothing else really matters," he said. "Whether we're playing in front of 100,000 people at USC or a few thousand at St. Anthony's, I'm locked in."

Although Ferrara is proud of what he's accomplished so far, setting kicking records and making All-American teams isn't what he is all about.

"Everyone's been training so hard," he said. "We're trying to erase the memories of our 2-10 record last year."

Ferrara's path to Maryland was atypical by kicker's standards. Kickers generally don't earn scholarships straight out of high school. They usually have to walk-on to a team and earn their scholarships.

"I thought getting recruited and being offered a scholarship was normal, even for a kicker," Ferrara said. "But at the kicking camps people kept saying kickers don't get scholarships."

Ferrara wasn't about to let that stop him.

"I just stayed focused," he said. "And did what I had to do. Once I kicked in front of the coaches, word about me spread like wild fire."