Eddy Pineiro gives Florida Gators kicking game hope

The Florida Gators gather around at the end of a hot practice on the Dizney Lacrosse fields but it’s not their head coach in the middle of the scrum.

Ryan Farr is just outside of the madness, bent at the waist, crouched over a football waiting for the signal. Johnny Townsend is down on a knee waiting for the snap but the madness isn’t directed at them.

Water hits Eddy Pineiro in the face. Chauncey Gardner dances in front of Florida’s kicker just a foot away. It’s chaos and it’s intended.

“Lately he’s been putting the whole team around me while I’m kicking my field goal,” Pineiro said. “Just screaming in my ear, throwing water in my face, trying to get me off-balance and stuff.”

Florida converted just seven of 17 field goal attempts last season, including the final five attempts of the year. Only Wyoming (2-8) had a worse conversion percentage.

“Seeing them go through those kicking struggles last year was pretty depressing,” Pineiro said. “Florida’s always been known for having good kickers like Caleb Sturgis and Judd Davis and stuff. But I was very aware of it.”

The struggles affected everyone. Fans groaned. Jim McElwain struggled to make excuses for the kicking game to the point where he just quit trying to come up with them anymore.

Head coaches have a lot on their plates but McElwain personally recruited Pineiro. Getting a kicker was that important to Florida’s head coach, even if that kicker hasn’t played in a real game. His first taste of what it would be like came in the spring during the Orange and Blue Debut. His first kick, an extra point, sailed through the uprights and almost brought the crowd to tears.

“I didn’t think people were going to scream out my name after an extra point, so that was pretty interesting,” he recalled with a smile.

Pineiro knows that the crowd will be much larger on September third, and along with that more pressure. He’ll be called upon on the road in Knoxville in front of 100,000 plus less than friendly faces and he’ll need to execute.

“I think he’ll thrive, honestly,” Townsend says. “He loves the big crowds and he’s a real confident guy so I think he will thrive in that setting.”

Pineiro focuses like Billy Chapel in For Love of the Game “clear the mechanism.” He locks eyes with Townsend and nods. Townsend shakes his right hand and Farr delivers a strike. Pineiro takes his first step as Townsend receives the snap. Laces out, Dan. Pineiro’s right leg swings back just as Townsend places the ball.

It’s good. Practice ends on a high note.

McElwain is doing anything he can to create chaos for his new kicker. Pineiro is answering the bell at every opportunity. Dress rehearsals are almost done. He’ll soon have to do it for real.

Clear the mechanism.

“I don’t really pay too much attention to it,” Pineiro says of his approach to kicking. “I just focus on the ball right before I kick it and I don’t focus on anything (else). I don’t focus on the guys running at me. I don’t focus on people screaming at me. I just focus on Johnny’s finger where his hand is and I just kick it.”

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC

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