By Sean McDevitt
FightingIllini.com
It's not the most glamorous position on the field. In fact, when Blake Hayes, punter for the Fighting Illini Football team, enters the game, it means the offense couldn't get the first down. It can be a demoralizing play.
Except when Hayes does it.
Case in point, during the game in West Lafayette, Indiana, against the Purdue Boilermakers, Hayes booted the very definition of a perfect punt. The magnificent 66-yard punt sailed over the receiver's head, hit the wet turf inside the 20-yard line, and jumped toward the end zone. The ball rolled right along the left sideline, hit the pylon, bounced out of bounds at the one-yard line, and the official ruled it dead. A few plays later, pinned against their end zone, the Purdue quarterback threw a pass intercepted by Tony Adams for a 13-yard "Pick 6" for the first Illinois touchdown.
"I thought it was a touchback," said Hayes in the postgame interview. "It's always fun to get one of those long ones that go over the guy's head, and rolling out at the one is the perfect situation. I was just happy to help the defense."
Offensive coordinator Rod Smith has a fun nickname for Hayes and during the Illinois football press conference this week, made sure to call him out, "Boomstick, and he hit the stick!"
Hayes has placed 27 punts inside the 20-yard line this season, 14 within the 10-yard line, and seven within the three-yard line with just two touchbacks. His 27 punts inside the 20 are the most in an Illinois single season since the stat began being kept in 1998 and his punting average of 45.0 yards per punt is second behind only Steve Weatherford's Illinois record of 45.4 set in 2004.
Special teams have been a highlight of the Lovie Smith era at Illinois. The KPS (kick, punt, snapper) unit is a cohesive group. With just a glance, the team members know what the other's thinking. During field goals, Hayes takes the snap and holds the ball in place. When James McCourt put the football between the goalposts for the college football upset of the season as Illinois beat Wisconsin, then the number six team in the nation, Hayes knew it was going to be straight and true. In fact, he knew the football was going through the goalposts even before McCourt kicked it.
"It's just the chemistry we have as a KPS unit," said Hayes. "You know, I had the same thing with Chase (McLaughlin), and I have the same thing with James (McCourt). I looked back at him, and I was totally confident, and I just knew he was going to make it. I was like, 'Man, he's going to make this' and all I had to do was put it down for him. I had no doubt he was going to make that kick. So just to be a part of something like that, you know, beating the number six team. It's once in a lifetime."
"Living his dream."
The closeness extends to the Hayes and McCourt families, as well.
Hayes came to the Illinois football team through ProKick Australia, a program designed to turn Australian rules footballers into American football kickers. It has helped several to make their way to the States to play college football with a few moving on to the NFL. Hayes' parents, Ronan and Georgina, hosted Alex McCourt, the brother of James, to train with ProKick Australia.
"We arranged an opportunity for him to stay at our place," said Hayes. "We offered a couple of nights, and then my mom loved him. So it turned into six months. Mom wants him there all the time. Now, he's living in a house with a few guys that are also training there. But, yeah, Mom probably offers him to come around for dinner like every second."
Family is important to Hayes. The first call after the Wisconsin upset win went to his brother Max even though he'd been up all night watching the game.Â
"The games start at two or three AM, but they always watch it," said Hayes. "I know they're always watching and I knew Max would love that."
Hayes' parents came to the States for a month to watch their son play. It's a trip they've been doing now since Blake started school. After three years, Champaign has become a second home.
"It's a long way to travel," said Ronan. "So if you're coming this way you might as well stay a while. They treat us like family here."
Being in the US to watch their son compete live is a blessing. Leaving him here is always hard, but the support they show is tremendous.Â
"It's tough," said Ronan. "He's our youngest, and it was a really big move leaving him here. I think it's probably made a little bit easier because the university is so good. Certainly social media helps, FaceTime and things like that. But I say a lot of times when people ask, 'He's living his dream, so who are we to stand in his way?' And he's enjoying it."
"It gives hope to people."
Blake Hayes doesn't hesitate when asked about what he loves most about American football. For him, it's the Illini family.Â
Hayes said, "It's just whenever people that I've never met, just coming up to all of us as players really supporting us… those are special moments. Actually, when I was coming back into this facility (The Smith Center) after the game, there was this elderly couple, and he started crying, talking to me, and then his wife was starting to cry as well. It gives hope to people. I could give hope to the team, but also give hope to other people's lives, which is great that we can do that for them."
Blake's parents are big supporters of the Coach Smith and the program.
Ronan said, "We've always been very strong Lovie supporters. We believe he's a great man, and a great mentor for our boys, and at the end of the day, two or three of this class will go and play NFL football, let's call it two or 3%, and 97% won't. He prepares them better for life in general, than being a football star in years to come."
Because Illinois' winning streak coincided with Ronan and Georgina's visit, they heard on more than one occasion they were obviously a good luck charm and simply could not head back to Australia.
Georgina was ready to take one for the team to not only keep the winning streak alive, but to watch her son in person for just a little bit longer, "Well, if you've got someone to come and break my leg so I didn't have to fly…"
She was kidding. Maybe.
