J. Ellis Flint came close to being called upon to possibly kick a game-winning field goal against Clemson last Saturday.

Fifth-year senior kicker Josh Czajkowski injured his leg during the 14-13 loss to the Tigers, but Flint was never needed in the final minutes of the contest. NCSU coach Tom O'Brien announced Monday that Czajkowski was done for the regular season, leaving Flint and freshman Chris Hawthorne competing to be the new kicker this week against Wake Forest at 2 p.m. Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.

"Me and Chris are both competing and it's going well," said Flint, a redshirt sophomore who transferred from Hofstra. "I'm grateful for the opportunity and I'll be ready for whatever comes my way."

Hawthorne didn't make the trip to Clemson, leaving Flint as the choice down the stretch. NC State reached the 43-yard line but the drive stalled, and the Wolfpack elected to punt on fourth down and one with 3:30 left in the game. NC State's offense never came close to field goal range again, but if they had, Flint felt confident.

"I really didn't have any time to think but I had to get my act together to make sure I was there for the team," said Flint about his emotions at Memorial Stadium. "I was just trying to be cool, calm and collected, and to be confident. I knew my teammates had my back and we were all in it together."

Czajkowski had gone 14 of 18 on field goals with a long of 44, and 33 of 34 on extra points to lead the Wolfpack with 75 points. He had also handled the kickoff duties, averaging 63.5 yards on 57 kickoffs with four touchbacks.

Czajkowski has tried to impart his wisdom down to Flint.

"To really not think about it and to have a selective memory, and to treat every kick the same way with your approach, and to just let it go," Flint said.

The Amsterdam, N.Y., native is the third oldest of 10 children — he is the oldest of five boys, and also has five sisters. His father is a blacksmith at the nearby racetrack in Saratoga Springs, while his mother graduated from Boston College, where O'Brien manned the sidelines before moving to NC State for the 2007 season.

Flint kicked a long of 46 yards at Amsterdam High, and was part of a state championship squad. He also got to recover a fumble at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.

Flint started his college career at Hofstra, but the Long Island, N.Y., school shut down its football program last year. He never did get the chance to kick at Hofstra.

A touch of fate led him to Raleigh after a chance meeting with Czajkowski at a football camp last offseason.

"From November through July, I was seeing a couple of different trainers to get my name out there," Flint said. "I went to Before U Kick corporation and hooked up with Paul Woodside and Dan Orner, and Josh was at the camp and saw the potential in me. He thought I should take a look at NC State."

Flint also had the chance to walk-on at Washington, but elected to transfer to NC State. His classes from Hofstra transferred over smoothly, but he's thinking of changing his major from film studies to communications. Flint is a theater buff, but is unsure what his future holds upon graduation.

Flint made his Wolfpack debut against Western Carolina in the season opener Sept. 4. He made both extra points in the lop-sided 48-7 victory, and kicked off twice for an average of 58.5 yards.

"I really feel good up to this moment of my abilities and how confident I am in myself," Flint said. "It was a good confidence booster for me [to kick at Carter-Finley Stadium]. It's something I can build on. With Clemson, I had already kicked in a game and I was already focused and calm."