Kyle Bambard is not about to give up after tough season
No one would have faulted NC State junior kicker Kyle Bambard if he sought a fresh start somewhere else after last season.
His story is well known in college football, even if his name escapes its memory. Bambard was the kicker who missed the 33-yard field goal as time expired at Clemson, keeping the score tied 17-17 and allowing the third-ranked Tigers to escape in overtime.
And after Clemson won the national title, a favorite quip on social media went something like: If NC State had a field goal kicker Clemson would not have even been in the College Football Playoff.
Never mind the false assumption that Clemson would have been doomed had it lost to NC State and not rebounded in an authoritative fashion and resumed its march to a title. It also did not reflect where Bambard was at that point in the season.
After an uneven freshman campaign, he lost his job to graduate transfer Connor Haskins in preseason camp. Haskins, though, misfired on a pair of field goals against ECU and Bambard was given his opportunity. He made four of his first five attempts and can hardly be blamed for missing one from 31 yards in the tropical storm conditions caused by a land-falling Hurricane Matthew while the Pack was playing Notre Dame.
Bambard actually made a 38-yarder that day against the Irish. He also connected on a 48-yarder the week before against Wake Forest. That led to the fateful day in Clemson.
His first kick was a 43-yarder that hit square and high up on the right upright. A few feet to the left, and Bambard’s kick would have sailed through from well beyond 50 yards. He then made a 28-yarder before having a 37-yard attempt blocked due to no fault of his own.
Minutes before he missed his last attempt of the day, Bambard followed through on a practice kick after Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney called a timeout to freeze him. That kick went through.
His miss at Clemson derailed his season. He did not get an attempt in the next two games. Finally, when his number was called again, against Florida State, Bambard missed a 31-yarder. Haskins then got his job back and held it, making four of five to close the season, his lone miss a short 26-yarder at UNC.
While college football fans wondered what would have happened to Clemson if Bambard had made that kick, Wolfpack Nation speculated what could its season have been.
Bambard has probably heard it all, but as he said multiple times, “Last year is last year.”
“I’d like to say I could dismiss it quickly,” Bambard admitted. “Any athlete would tell you that they would like to do that.
“It was difficult.”
One of the ironies about Bambard is that he was a terrific high school football player at Western High in Walled Lake, Mich. He was the quarterback and went 29-6 as a starter, including 9-2 in his senior year. He threw for 1,721 yards and 21 touchdowns while also running for 1,458 yards and 14 scores that last season, and he was a finalist for Mr. Football in Michigan.
Bambard fully understands the nature of football.
“To a certain extent, I understand the difference in positions, the physical toll it takes to be a position player and not a specialist,” Bambard noted. “For that, I respect each and every single one of these players.
“But at the same time, this is a very mentally demanding job, being a specialist.”
Fortunately for Bambard, he found comfort from his family, friends and — he noted most of all — his teammates. He still believes that he is part of a squad that can do special things in Raleigh, hence he is back trying to regain his old job even after head coach Dave Doeren signed graduate transfer Carson Wise in the offseason.
If there was one positive carryover from last fall, Bambard emerged tougher.
“It’s huge,” Bambard said. “You have to go through a process of asking yourself why am I putting myself through this? Why am I here? If your answer isn’t to build a championship, to build a legacy, then it’s hard to wake up every day and put yourself through a lot of the stuff that we go through.
“But at the end of the day, I came here to win a championship, and we haven’t done that yet. I’m not going to leave until we do.”
Bambard knows he has to win his job back, and he will respect what Doeren decides. Wise appears to have the edge, but the coach does believe that Bambard will retain his role handling kickoffs.
And Bambard’s mindset hasn’t changed. He said he still believes in both his and his team’s potential.
“One-hundred percent I do, if I didn’t I wouldn’t be out here,” he explained. “I believe I have a lot to offer for this team. While it might not be my turn right now, I’ll be waiting in the wings if my number is called, and if my number is ever called I’ll be ready.”
So instead of seeking a fresh start elsewhere, Bambard is back in Raleigh back for more after a tough but valuable life experience that will probably carry with him far after his football days are over.
“At the end of the day, that’s life,” Bambard said. “While things might not have gone my way last year, it’s difficult sometimes to see the big picture. What happened last year and some of the events that happened really allowed me to step back, find out who my friends are, who I could lean on and really grasp the big picture.
“Yeah that one play or that one game had a big impact, but we could bounce back from that. The big picture is this 2017 team has a lot to offer and can win a championship, and that’s what we’re here to do.”
Related links from NC State media day:
Dave Doeren breaks down the offense
Doeren breaks down the defense
Video: Dave Doeren’s answers questions at media day
Video: Dave Doeren breaks down position groups
Audio: Dave Doeren holds his media day press conference
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