Three steps over and two steps back.
"I've done that so many times it's routine for me now ... it's just comfortable," BYU kicker Matt Payne said. How long does it take to achieve this level of comfort witnessed by BYU football fans each weekend from the senior? To find out, you have to look at his football beginnings that go back to when he would watch Cougar football from his home television then head out to kick field goals during halftime with only the backyard apricot trees as his goal posts.
The 6-4, 234-pound senior from North Ogden, Utah, was like most young BYU football fans that dreamt of being a BYU quarterback. Only it was his strong and accurate leg that caught the attention of college recruiters, schools like Air Force, Utah, Arizona, and Washington State to name a few. So, why BYU Matt?
"I always wanted to play for BYU, always wanted to be a BYU quarterback, they won their conference so many years it's just easy to be a BYU fan ... I was quick to sign a letter of intent with BYU."
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Growing up Payne's home life was definitely busy. He the sixth of nine children, five boys and four girls, and it seems he would have been lost in the crowd. However, it didn't happen. Payne credits his parents, Gordon and Mary Payne, as being solid parents and his greatest influence growing up.
"My parents allowed me to be in athletics. If I wanted to play a sport, they were always willing to support me financially and also willing to transport me to my games and practices. They made a huge difference. My parents didn't push me, theirs was more of a supportive role and that worked for me."
Payne also attributes his parents in helping him achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank awarded in the Boy Scouts of America, when he was only 13 years old. He has 26 merit badges to his name and for his Eagle Project he helped those that were less fortunate in the Ogden area by making maps of nearby locations that provided free food, clothing, dental, etc.
Payne realized he had great athletic talent early in his life. He and some of his friends really pushed each other to excel in soccer, basketball, and football. He began playing soccer at the age of five, basketball at nine, and football as a high school freshman where he played middle linebacker, tight end, and was the kicker/punter. Because of an injury during his freshman year, Payne did not get back into football until his junior year.
It was there in Weber High seminary that he met his future wife Amanda Lindley. After serving a full-time LDS mission to Portland, Oregon, from Oct.1997-Oct.1999, Payne and Amanda were married in July of 2000. Now with eight-month-old son, Logan, Payne looks at life a little differently.
"It's had an impact having a wife and child. It helps me to know there is more to life than just football. When I don't play as well as I should have, it's nice to go home and have [Logan] and my wife smiling. It's just nice to have a loving family to go home to."
TRUE INTENTIONS
"I didn't really have intentions of being a kicker, I could kick the soccer ball pretty well, and I enjoyed playing soccer, but it's just one of those things I had the talent for, and the opportunity presented itself so I took advantage of it."
Payne enjoyed playing middle linebacker in ninth grade, but putting yourself in jeopardy of getting injured was not something that excited him. He wanted to stay as healthy as he could, and because he kicked well, the position seemed to fit.
ACCURACY AND INTENSITY
For the past four years, BYU football fans have had the pleasure and comfort of having Matt Payne as their kicker and punter.
How has Payne been able to be so consistent through the years? According to the man himself, the formula is not that complex.
"It's one of those things where I have done it so many times that I just go out there and do it. You try to be comfortable and confident and try not to have too many things go through your mind. My high school coach told me to keep my head down and kick up through the ball. That's something I tell myself before each kick."
Payne says that if he sticks to that formula then he's usually pretty consistent.
And what about the intensity in his face?
What about those eyebrows?
Apparently, from an early age his dad said he knew when Matt came to play because his eyebrows would go down and he would turn on the intensity and just be in the zone.
"You got to watch out when the eyebrows go down," says Payne. "It's something that is kind of funny, because little Logan has the same eyebrows."
NOT NORMAL
Payne does not consider himself a "normal" kicker by any sense of the word. For example, a "normal" kicker typically doesn't participate in the full team workouts. Payne does. He wants to be considered "one of the guys." It's important for him be out there with the rest of the team.
He's one of the few players in the country that specialize in both the kicking and punting duties, but he says it also helps him stay warm and loose to make a bigger impact on the game. Payne is not afraid to make some big hits either, and opposing kick and punt returners have felt the effects of it. This also sets him apart from the "normal" kicker. Payne explains that he wants to do whatever it takes to make a play on the field.
"I'm part of the coverage, I need to get down there and make a play just like everyone else does. If they get by the first line of defense, then I need to clean up, so that's what I do."
This year against Boise State, Payne did clean up. Two big hits, that later were showcased on national media highlights, brought fans sitting in their living rooms watching the game, to their feet. But Payne is a modest guy, it doesn't seem that big of a deal to him.
"The first hit, I was just trying to make the tackle and it was a pretty big hit, and the second one I was trying to make a big hit ... it's nice to be able to fire people up on my team. It's hard to do that in the position that I play."
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Being a BYU student-athlete has been everything Payne has hoped for, especially with the atmosphere, it's been a great experience for him. He has loved the opportunity to represent BYU, the Church, and his family. But, with Payne on the field, it's been a great opportunity for the fans as well.
After redshirting the 2000 season, Payne competed in all 14 games in 2001 as a freshman. He made an NCAA record 73-of-76 point-after attempts while also setting the NCAA record for most attempted (76). Payne scored 109 points that season, ranking second on the BYU roster. In his first appearance as a Cougar, Payne tied a BYU single-game record with 10 successful extra-point attempts (vs. Tulane).
As a sophomore Payne earned All-Mountain West Conference First Team honors, and as a junior he was listed by The Sporting News as the second-ranked punter in the nation. In BYU football history, five field goals have been made of 50 yards or more, and Payne has made three of them.
Already this season, Payne has made a huge impact on the outcomes of games. With two field goals of 50+ yards and consistently pinning opponents inside their own 10-yard line, Payne has accomplished more than a winning attitude, he's being nationally recognized. John Walters of Sports Illustrated, recently said, "Matt Payne is my favorite special teams player in the nation."
THE FUTURE
Payne is studying exercise science/pre-med with a business minor and wants to get into pharmaceutical sales, although a career in professional football is not out of the question.
"Right now I'm not focusing on it a whole lot. I'd like to play after college, but right now I'm trying to keep the goals I have set for myself ... my wife and I don't talk about it much. It's one of those things that once you start talking about it your focus is not where it needs to be. You can start talking about it when it's time, and that's after the season."
Payne is living up to his own personal motto, "Don't give up what you want most for what you want now."
"I don't want to lose focus of why we are here, and where we're going."
Counting Payne's Points on Toes and Fingers
Matt Payne continues to impress Cougar fans with his steady play as both a punter and placekicker over the last three seasons. Payne came into the season as fifth on the all-time scoring record at BYU with 237 points.
Some interesting notes about Payne's place kicking career include the following. He has never had a field goal attempt blocked in four years. His most accurate range is from 20-29 yards. He has made at least one 50 yard or more field goal each season, including two already this year. For his career, Payne has only missed six extra point attempts in 139 tries.
2004
FGM-FGAPct.
Totals9-1181.8
1-19 yds.----
20-29 yds.0-1--
30-39 yds.1-250
40-49 yds.5-5100
50+ yds.3-3100
Long: 53 yards (vs. Notre Dame) Blocked: 0
2003
FGM-FGAPct.
Total 14-18 77.8
1-19 yds. 1-1 100
20-29 yds. 5-6 83.3
30-39 yds. 3-4 75
40-49 yds. 2-2 100
50+ yds. 3-5 60
Long: 53 yards (vs. USC) Blocked: 0
2002
FGM-FGAPct.
Total 13-16 81.2
1-19 yds. -- --
20-29 yds. 2-2 100
30-39 yds 6-6 100
40-49 yds. 4-6 67.7
50+ yds. 1-2 50
Long: 52 yards (vs. New Mexico) Blocked: 0
2001
FGM-FGAPct.
Total12-1770.6
1-19 yds. -- --
20-29 yds. 4-5 80
30-39 yds. 3-3 100
40-49 yds. 4-6 67.7
50+ yds. 1-3 33.3
Long: 50 yards (vs. UNLV) Blocked: 0
Career
FGM-FGAPct.
Total 48-62 77.4
1-19 yds. 1-1 100
20-29 yds. 11-14 78.6
30-39 yds. 13-15 86.6
40-49 yds. 15-19 78.9
50+ yds. 8-13 61.5
Long: 53 yards (vs. USC & Notre Dame) Blocked: 0