If tomorrow night's nationally-televised ACC showdown between Virginia and Maryland comes down to a late Terrapin field goal attempt, Maryland junior kicker Nick Novak will become the man of the moment. Novak, a Charlottesville native, is already excited about his opportunity to kick against his hometown university.
"I'm really looking forward to the Virginia game," Novak said in a press conference following his team's 59-21 homecoming victory over UNC Nov. 1.
Novak will enter tomorrow game with the ACC lead in both scoring per game and field goals. In nine Terrapin games thus far, Novak has connected on 25 of his 26 extra point tries and is 18 for 22 in field goal attempts. The Cavaliers are well aware of how rare a Novak miss is.
"Their field goal kicker is among the best in the league," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "He's got range, and he's got accuracy."
Novak showed off his abilities very well the last time the Terrapins took the field. In their big win over North Carolina, Novak accumulated 15 points as he connected on all three of his field goal attempts and every one of his six extra point kicks. He was rewarded for his efforts by being named ACC Player of the Week, garnering the honor for the third time this season.
"I really wanted to be perfect today," Novak said in a press conference following the North Carolina game. "I have had too many two for three games, I just wanted to give everything I had."
Novak also earned one of 20 semifinalist spots on the list for the 2003 Lou Groza Award, which is annually given to the top Division I-A kicker. Novak made the list last season as well, and the Terrapins are not surprised at his success.
"I think Nick is one of the outstanding placekickers in the country," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. "He's a tireless worker, whether it's academically or when it comes to kicking, and he's been almost a perfectionist."
While Novak has experienced great success in his three years kicking for the Terrapins, things did not always look so rosy. After struggling at the beginning of his redshirt freshman season in 2001, Novak was called on by Friedgen to attempt a 46-yard field goal on the last play of a nationally-televised Thursday night game at ACC rival Georgia Tech. Novak made the field goal to send the game to overtime, where he proceeded to kick the game-winning field goal. Novak's two pressure kicks kept Maryland's then-undefeated record spotless and jumpstarted his career to where it is right now.
Novak built off his performance against Georgia Tech by finishing the season making 12 of his last 14 field goal attempts. He even made a 51-yarder at Florida State as time expired in the first half, helping to keep the Terrapins in the game in what would be their only regular season loss that year. He finished the year with a selection as an honorable mention All-ACC player, and he made first team All-ACC last season.
Novak appears to be a good candidate for first team All-ACC recognition this year as well, with his counterpart in tomorrow night's game, Virginia kicker Connor Hughes, serving as the primary competition.
With a successful performance tomorrow night, Novak can keep Maryland in the running for a New Year's Day bowl bid, show off for the Groza Award voters and snatch bragging rights from his hometown school.
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