Rice kicker redeems himself in end

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

You're only as good as your last kick.

That's what ran through Brandon Skeen's mind during halftime, after missing two field goal attempts from 29 and 44 yards, respectively, in yesterday's Western Athletic Conference matchup between Hawai'i and Rice at Aloha Stadium.

Entering the second half, the Owls kicker hadn't hit one from farther than 30 yards.

"I just tried to pretend to forget about it," Skeen said. "I just went out and played the second half like it was a new game."

He hit a 31-yard field goal to tie the game at 24 and the game-winning 26-yarder with 2:26 left in the fourth quarter as Rice (3-1, 1-0 WAC) edged Hawai'i (1-2, 0-2), 27-24.

"It was unbelievable," said Skeen, whose longest career field goal is 47 yards. "It's been such a roller coaster, both with the score and for me emotionally."

Missing the two field goals early eroded his self-confidence. In the locker room during halftime, the 6-foot-1 sophomore said he tried not to focus on his mistakes but on how he could do better in the second half.

"(The coaches) let me figure things out on my own," Skeen said. "They tell me I'm a better kicker than that."

Skeen, the team's kickoff specialist, replaced senior Derek Crabtree, who is recovering from a pulled groin muscle.

"He's just been thrown into it," said Rice head coach Ken Hatfield. "And I think he did a good job."

Though he hit two field goals in the fourth quarter when it mattered most, Skeen missed a 47-yarder that would have put the Owls ahead earlier in the game. The attempt fell short of the goal posts.

Hawai'i took over at its 30, only to be assaulted by defensive end Nick Sabula. The 6-foot-2 junior sacked Jared Flint, in for an injured Tim Chang, for a loss of 4 yards. He then broke up two consecutive passes by Flint, forcing the Warriors to punt.

That led to an 11-play, 61-yard drive by the Owls that set up Skeen for a 26-yard field goal attempt. He nailed it.

"I give complete credit to my team," Skeen said. "They had faith in me. They told me they'd love me no matter what happened."

Added Hatfield: "I knew he had it in him; that wasn't a problem."

Skeen, who almost passed up football to play soccer, called this game the most memorable of his career.

"Man, it feels great," he said with a self-satisfied smile.

Besides winning the game with his foot, Skeen earned something more important to kickers: confidence.

"Brandon Skeen really grew up in this game," Hatfield said. "He gained a lot of confidence. To tie and win the game — what the heck, baby, you can't get any better than that."