Pres-sure (n.) \ˈpre-shər\: The burden of physical or mental distress.

“Game Over,” announces head referee Dennis Lipski. Amidst the mayhem that ensues on the field and in the stands, the 2010 Music City Bowl game abruptly ends 20-17, Tennessee. Tar Heel fans somberly begin filing out of Nashville’s LP Field, preparing to make the 428-mile-journey back to Chapel Hill. The refs push the defeated Tar Heel offensive line off the field. Orange and white confetti rains onto the field as the Volunteers celebrate in wild abandon. But even amidst the frantic uproar, UNC Casey Barth remains focused on the sidelines. Warming up. As if the pandemonium unfolding around him is just a Volunteer daydream. Warming up just in case, by some miracle, the replay booth officials review T.J. Yates' clock-stopping spike and put one second back on the clock. One second could give the Tar Heels the chance to kick a 39-yard . And one second could give Casey Barth the chance to save the day. Again. “I was standing on the sideline watching the game and the clock tick down. [Holder Trase Jones] and I were getting some kicks on the net, but weren’t sure if we would get the chance to kick. As the clock wound down, we ran out on the field and spiked the ball—but the refs called the game over,” Barth said. One second? Even if they reset the clock, could Barth possibly fire off a field goal in just a second? That would take perfect execution. Not to mention nerves of steel. One thing's for sure: you wouldn't want to be in Casey Barth's shoes. But when the booth officials do reverse the game-over call, putting exactly one second back on the clock, the unruffled No.11 trots on the field, and takes his place for a kick that will go down in history. Tar Heel fans squirm in their seats but Barth doesn’t feel a thing. Just by watching him, you can tell that for this clutch kicker, pressure doesn’t translate. Kicking a field goal, down by three, with one second on the clock seems to faze him like kicking the kickball in a neighborhood pick-up game. Is it pure confidence or was this man born without nerves? “I thought to myself, ‘I know we are going to get a chance, its not going to end like this. It can’t end like this.’ So I just kept swinging my leg and imagining the kick going through the uprights. In my head I was just saying to myself, ‘You can do this, you can do this.’” 68,798 eyes rest on No. 11. The game depends on this kick, this second in time. Talk about pressure. Ready, Set, Hut—Jones places the ball on the 39-yard line. And Barth sends the ball straight up the middle, just as his vivid imagination instructed. “I knew the kick was good. When I looked up and saw that it was going straigt—that was probably the most exciting moment of my life,” Barth said. Mayhem turns to madness, and the crowd is in a state of disbelief. This game, my friends, is going into overtime, and the unrelenting faith of Casey Barth just might prove to pay off in a Tar Heel Music City victory. After a short celebration, Barth nonchalantly runs to the side of the field—this time to warm up for an overtime showdown. Deep breath. In. Out. Repeat. First OT: UNC scores, and again, Barth's kick is good. Tennessee answers to tie, 27-27. Second OT: Quan Sturdivant makes a pivotal interception from Tennessee QB Tyler Bray. Once again, Casey Barth is faced with pressure. Deus ex machina, Barth responds. You can hear a pin drop as Barth calmly kicks the 23-yard field goal straight down the middle, this time to seal the deal for a Music City title. As the remaining Tar Heel fans go wild, the dazed Volunteer fans file out of the stadium. Debris of orange confetti remains ingrained in the field—but like the Lost City, is long forgotten. Fireworks explode while Carolina blue confetti masks all traces of an elapsed Volunteer victory. Casey Barth got his chance to save the day. And save the day he did. It’s safe to say that UNC-Chapel Hill junior Casey Barth knows all about pressure. Although his 5-foot-11-inch, 185-pound frame stands relatively small beside his 300-pound teammates, more often than not, the entire UNC-CH football team looks to him to score. Brute linemen and crafty receivers often emerge from a chaotic heap of pads and helmets to have made a difference in the game. But with all eyes, literally thousands of eyes, on No. 11, anxiously awaiting a solo kick that will differentiate between a win and a loss—that's pressure. Lucky for the Tar Heels, Casey Barth is wearing the No. 11 jersey. His last season’s 86.4 kicking percentage proves that nine times out of 10, his teammates and fans are not disappointed. And he assured that isn’t going to change. “You can expect 100 percent from me next year,” Barth guaranteed. An average placekicker is usually one of the smallest members of his team. He has quick, nimble feet and a large, sweeping kick. He has great flexibility, leg speed, balance, coordination and consistency. He normally accumulates more points in his career than any other player. And on the Tar Heel team, Barth fits this description perfectly. Last year he led the Tar Heels with 97 points and was selected to the all-conference second team. His career 255 points make him the highest-scoring Tar Heel on the team. Despite his impressive stats and accolades, he doesn’t let his success go to his head. “If I had to describe myself in three words,” he thought for a second as his voice trailed off. “I would say nice, athletic, and fun—and I know how to play the piano.” No mention of being one of the most successful in . Off the field, Barth is an extremely humble, laid-back guy. In his little free time, he enjoys just hanging out with his friends, walking his dog, and playing video games. But on the field, he kicks into high gear. Sometimes he even flips out—literally—Barth is known to do a front flip on the field after a game-winning field goal. “Probably one of the most unique things about Casey is that he likes to joke around all the time. He's always in a good mood. I’ve known him for four to five years now and I’ve never seen him get mad or upset once,” Jones said. “Even on his worst days, he tries to overcome it and not let anything bother him.” Witness the scene from a lazy, mid-March afternoon interview: Flowers are blooming ubiquitously as you walk up to Casey Barth’s front door. You ring the doorbell. A handsome, medium-sized guy opens the door. He’s of medium-height and medium build. In a white Nike tee and baggy blue jeans, he looks like the average college student. “Is this Casey’s roommate?” you wonder. “Hi—I don’t think we’ve ever been formally introduced.” Barth begins. “I’m Casey,” he says as he leads you into the living room. Shortly into the interview, you find out he’s adventurous, he loves to skateboard, and he goes with the flow in everything he does. The biggest thing that stands out in your mind is how laid-back this clutch kicker is off the field. He isn’t a perfectionist. He isn’t OCD. He isn't high-strung. He isn’t the least bit cocky, pompous, or arrogant. “This is Casey Barth?” You think. “This friendly, down-to-earth guy is the outstanding kicker that Coach Davis describes as having ice-water in the veins? This is the freak of nature for whom the standardized term “pressure” doesn’t register?” And then you watch him kick. Under what normal people would call pressure. You see thousands of eyes, caught in that in-between moment of not yet knowing whether to rejoice or cry, watching his every move like a slow motion replay. The difference between a victory and defeat rests solely on his shoulders. You notice the Tar Heel fans are beginning to sweat. But Barth keeps his cool. Left foot step; right foot kick: and the ball begins to soar through the darkened dusk sky. You see fans rising to their feet. And then you watch that ball glide directly down the middle of the field. And into the goal. Again. And you will see it again. Because with Casey Barth, 86.4 percent of the time, this moment in time isn’t frozen: it will replay over and over. Believe it or not, Barth is relatively new to football. He grew up in Wilmington, N.C., and attended John T. Hoggard High School. He grew up playing baseball, hockey, soccer, and basketball; football was more of an afterthought. He had never played until his freshman year of high school. But with an NFL older brother as inspiration, football quickly found a special place in Barth’s heart. Barth attributes his success and happiness to his family. As far as role models go, he looks up to his parents, Thomas and Susan Barth, and older brother Connor, who held the placekicker position at UNC-CH the four years prior to Casey's arrival. Connor is now the placekicker for NFL's , and Casey doesn’t mind following in his big brother's footsteps. Continuing the family tradition, Casey aspires to play “somewhere warm” in the NFL after college. “My parents and brother have had a huge amount of influence in my career because of their constant support. They really give me the courage to do what I want. My parents always give me advice about my kicking situations because they were there for my brother while he was kicking in college,” Casey said. Connor actually inspired his younger brother to begin placekicking. “My brother and my dad taught me most of my initial kicking when I was young,” Casey said. “But I started kicking mostly because of my brother. When I saw the success he was having, I decided to try my hand at it. Just being able to watch Connor really helped me get my form down.” “It’s definitely an honor to be his brother,” Connor said. “I mean, I could go on and on about him. It’s very humbling for him to say [that I’m his inspiration.] Because from his standpoint, he’s exceeded the expectations of me, my family, and everybody at Carolina.” Does Connor get nervous watching his little brother kick a game-winner? You bet. But he’s confident. “I was in Florida [during the bowl game] because we still had another game to playWhen they first called the game to be over, I was throwing furniture in my apartment— going nuts. I was a little bit nervous when Casey went out there, because it was a longer field goal. But after he made that I thought, ‘The rest is going to be easy,’” Connor explained. “I know that Casey’s pretty much money under pressure.” “When they rushed everybody out on the field to kick the field goal, Casey didn’t take his steps back for his field goal. I got nervous—I wished he would have gone back out there and taken those steps. But he went out there and winged it; and he made it. I thought to myself, ‘Wow Casey, you’re way better than me.”” Connor’s success and legacy put an extraordinary amount of pressure on Casey from the moment he signed at UNC-CH. And after kicking only 66.7 percent his freshman year, Tar Heel fans thought that Casey might always live in Connor’s shadow. But after a dramatic improvement to 84 percent his second year, this management and society major proved any doubters wrong. Despite common sibling rivalry, the younger Barth said he has always admired his big brother, and he said Connor was one of the main reasons he chose to attend UNC-CH. “When I decided to come to UNC, I didn’t think that of it as following in my brother’s footsteps,” Casey said. “I knew that if I kicked the way I knew how to, I could make a name for myself.” But at first, Casey’s protective big brother was a little bit concerned: “After what I did at Carolina—with the records that I broke—I was nervous for him coming in. I didn’t know if he wanted to come in and fill my shoes.” Connor paused, as if in thought. “And he’s done one heck of a job—I’m so proud of him. Really.” “Casey didn’t have anything handed to him growing up. When he got the chance to walk on at Carolina, he earned a scholarship that spring. He beat out his competition to start as a freshman—I mean, he’s more of an inspiration to me,” Connor continued as his voice trailed off. Then he laughed. “He’s about to break all of my records, which I’m not happy about—l’m kidding—I’m proud. Hopefully one day we can both kick together in the NFL.” Two placekicking brothers with the ability to block out all pressure? It must be genetic. “I think that his mom, Sue, and his father, Tom, there’s got to be some kind of genetic freak gene that they have--they’ve got to have the ice water in the veins gene that nobody else has,” UNC Football coach Butch Davis joked. “They’ve produced two sons that are as clutch of kickers as I’ve ever been around. Connor when he was here, and what Connor has done in the —he made it into the record book in only his second year kicking three field goals over 50 yards. And now his younger brother’s come in against Virginia Tech, Tennessee, and countless number of other times to make really clutch field goals.” The UNC-CH football team lifts weights every morning and conditions every evening. Barth said that his drills in practice prepare him for nights like December 30, 2010. “In practice, Coach Davis simulates last second field goals like these. I never really thought we would have to use them, but they actually came in handy,” Barth joked. Coach Davis refuses to take credit for the Barth boys’ success. “Its personality, I wouldn’t even begin to try to take credit for it. I hope we facilitate it by the drills we ask him to do and the situations we try to create in practice but a lot of times that’s just innate—you either have the ability to deal with pressure or you don’t,” Davis said. And in the Barth family, there is no doubt that they do. “Connor’s helped me a lot when it comes to blocking out the pressure. The biggest thing he has taught me is to use visualization before the game. The night before, and before the game, I just see the kicks in my head so that when I step on the field, it seems like I’ve already performed them,” Barth explained. All the hard works pays off—his junior season, Casey missed only three kicks. And many times, victory has rested on his shoulders. (Or at his feet, literally). When the Tar Heels need Barth, he always responds. His career-best 49-yarder was this past season when the Tar Heels took on the Wolfpack at home. In that game, while the team found scoring touchdowns difficult, Barth answered the call by making four field goals, and scoring 13 of the total 25 points. Off the field, he’s laid-back, he’s adventurous, and he’s fun. But on the field, a transformation occurs: he’s as clutch a kicker as his record-breaking brother, as calm as a yogi entering meditation, and can respond like clockwork under the weight of a game-winning kick. For this close-knit Tar Heel team, they always have faith in the little man on the field. If you can handle the pressure, keep your eyes on No. 11—It’s sure to be an exciting ride. And for the first time in his life, Connor Barth has taken a back seat. And the supportive brother doesn’t mind it one bit. “Now whenever people talk to me, I’m always ‘Casey’s big brother.’ He’s the big man on campus now. And I’m as proud as I can be about it. I’m just happy to be his older brother.”

Interviews

Butch Davis, Coach Casey Barth Connor Barth Trase Jones, Holder

Outside Sources

Merriam-Webster’s Free Online Dictionary http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pressure The Daily Tar Heel http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2010/12/a_season_hanging_on_16_sec onds ACC Insider http://acc.blogs.starnewsonline.com/19251/through-all-the-confusion-barth-emerges- as-a-unc-hero/?tc=ar ESPN Statistics http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=388126 Sports Reference http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/casey-barth-1.html