Kickers boot bad habits
Justin Sujansky sat in the comfort of his home, watching the game on television with a brace around his knee.
Collin Barber stood in pressure-packed Veterans Stadium, five yards from the football, preparing to kick the game-tying extra point.
Both saw Barber’s kick hit the left upright and fall harmlessly to the ground. Syracuse lost Oct. 12 to Temple, 17-16, for the first time since 1983, typifying SU’s 4-8 season.
‘You’ve gotta feel bad for Collin,’ Sujansky said. ‘It’s just something you never wish upon anybody, especially your own teammate. It’s a hard situation to be in. I feel bad for him, but that’s what comes with athletics — glory and then sometimes it sucks.’
Six months later, Barber and Sujansky, SU’s top two kickers, are battling for the starting spot, hoping fans forget about last year when Barber made 11 of 20 field goals and 33 of 36 extra points.
After SU’s loss to Temple, Barber came under intense scrutiny. Fans called for a change at kicker, and punter Mike Shafer began kicking extra points.
Meanwhile, Sujansky sat. SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni redshirted Sujansky, who had torn the ACL in his left knee and wasn’t cleared to play until November.
‘By then, it wasn’t even worth it to come in and play,’ Sujansky said. ‘I talked to Coach after the season, and he said, ‘At one point, I considered having you play.’ But it didn’t make any sense to waste a year.’
Sujansky first injured the knee as a high-school senior. Then a running back, he planted to make a cut and heard a pop. Two-and-a-half years later, Sujansky, new ACL in place, heard the same pop, this time during a jumping drill.
‘Second time I injured it, I knew exactly what it was,’ Sujansky said. ‘It was weird because there were like 50 guys around me, and they all heard it, too. Everybody was flipping out.’
Doctors attached a cadaver’s Achilles tendon to Sujansky. The tendon is even stronger than Sujansky’s original ACL.
Now, Sujansky wears a brace on his left leg, even when he kicks.
‘I basically need to wear it for the rest of my life,’ Sujansky said.
Barber struggled with injuries last year, too. A strained right groin from preseason camp, compounded by a strained ligament in his left foot suffered against Auburn, set Barber back.
The injuries hurt Barber’s consistency. He began kicking differently. Instead of following straight through the ball, Barber began falling to the side, releasing pressure from his ailing foot but forcing the ball to carry.
This summer, Barber will work with assistant coach Chris White to correct the mounting bad habits.
‘I’m working with people on my techniques,’ Barber said. ‘Just drills and stuff. When you’re injured, you pick up bad habits, and those are habits you have to break.’
Now, Barber and Sujansky, both returning from injuries, both equally capable, are vying for the starting job.
‘Obviously, I want to play,’ Sujansky said. ‘That’s what I’m here to do.’
‘We’re just keeping the competition tight,’ Barber said. ‘When you go into spring ball, jobs are always up for grabs. You just gotta compete like you don’t have a job.’
At Monday’s practice, Sujansky and Barber lined up for field goals at full contact. Sujansky unofficially hit 7 of 9. Barber, meanwhile, connected on 7 of 8, the only miss coming on a blocked kick.
‘I’m about where I was before,’ Sujansky said. ‘That was my biggest thing, just to get back to where I am now. And I can only get better now. I just want to kick it further.’
Said Barber: ‘You can’t let what happened a year ago affect how you kick now. Last year I was injured all year. I rehabbed all winter and during the spring. Hopefully my body will be in the shape. It should be.’
Published on April 15, 2003 at 12:00 pm