Sept. 17, 2002
by Todd Wallace * Host Communications
Glenn Pakulak isn’t your average punter. At 6-2, 233 pounds, he looks morelike a linebacker. But make no mistake, after witnessing one of his boomingpunts you will know that this man belongs on special teams and not in theopposing team’s backfield.
An all-league linebacker, receiver and punter in high school, Pakulak dispelsthe myth of the gawky punter or kicker, who is ridiculed by teammates.
Instead, his aggressive attitude on punt coverage, plus impressive workoutsin the weight room, make him just another football player on the field, andworthy of the respect of his hard-hitting teammates.
“I think they respect the fact I can go out there and make tackles and helpthem out,” Pakulak said.
Teammates also respect his 44.5 yards per punt average, which ranked himfirst in the SEC and sixth nationally. In his best game of the seasonagainst Georgia, Pakulak drilled a season-long 69-yard punt, which was theeighth longest in school history.
The standout season earned Pakulak a host of postseason awards. He was givenfirst-team SEC status by the Associated Press and Football News and namedthird-team All-America by Football News.
It also earned him the honor of being a team captain, along with linebackerRonnie Riley and quarterback Jared Lorenzen, as selected by his teammates.
But after a big year like Pakulak’s come big expectations. He is ranked thethird-best punter in the nation entering the season by The Sporting News, apreseason second-team All-America by Football News and Athlon magazine, afirst-team All-SEC selection by The Sporting News, Football News, Street andSmith’s, Birmingham News, Athlon magazine and the SEC sportswriters, aplayer on the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award as the nation’sbest punter and on the Football Writers Association of America preseasonAll-America checklist.
With the expectations come additional pressure to perform – something Pakulaktries to ignore.
“It’s a little nerve-racking being a second-team All-American,” he said.”There is additional pressure to perform.
“But I am trying not to put that much pressure on myself. When you startputting additional pressure, start checking the statistics every day, youwill make things tougher. I just want to do the best I can possibly do andif I feel like I’ve done my best then it should be good enough.”
According to Pakulak, pressure is just part of being a punter, so he doesn’tbelieve this year will be any different.
“As a punter, if we don’t perform, something is wrong with us,” Pakulak said.”If I shank a punt all eyes are on me, but if we do our job it is expected.”
And if he needs a reminder on how to deal with an especially tense situation,Pakulak can simply recall last year, when he was called on for the firsttime.
“The first punt of the year last year I was so nervous,” he said. “I hit likea 70-yard punt that was called back.
“That first punt set the tone for the rest of the season.”
Eleven games and a 44.5 yards per punt average later, including three gameswhen the opposition had zero return yards, and Pakulak was one of theshining stars from last season.
This season the senior out of Lapeer, Mich., expects even bigger things fromhimself and the rest of the special teams.
In the season-opening game against Louisville, Pakulak and the rest of theunit did not disappoint. The Cardinals only started one offensive driveoutside of their own 25-yard line thanks to some superior placement byPakulak.
“That does make me feel pretty good about myself,” he said about theLouisville game. “If they (the opponent) can start on the the other side ofthe 20 or 25, they have to go 80, 75 yards to score a touchdown. That’spretty tough for any offense.”
But Pakulak didn’t just help the team as the punter against Louisville, he isalso the holder on field goals and a mentor for freshman kicker TaylorBegley.
After Begley nailed a 32-yard field goal to give Kentucky back the lead,19-17, Pakulak was the first to celebrate, smacking the freshman kickerseveral times in the helmet to let him know how big of a kick it was.
“It was huge. For a freshman to step up like that I wanted to show him howexcited I was,” Pakulak said. “Instead of just kicking it and walking offthe field I wanted to let him know that was a great job and to get himpumped back up and get his confidence up.”
Because of the extra effort and attention paid to the special teams over thepast couple years, confidence is at an all-time high for Pakulak andcompany.
“We have been working a lot on special teams. It is the first thing we’vebeen doing in practice,” he said.
Which is a far cry from the way special teams were viewed before Guy Morrisstook over as the team’s head coach. Before, Pakulak (even though he was nota starter) and the rest of the special teams never knew when they would becalled to duty. The Cats often gambled on fourth down, leaving the puntingunit on the sidelines. It was a frustrating experience for the unit as awhole.
“We never knew what was going to happen,” Pakulak said. “Coach Morriss getsus more involved.
“It is very enjoyable, it makes me feel more a part of the team.”
The results speak for themself. Aside from the stellar game against theCards, the punting unit also excelled in 2001.
The group did not have a punt blocked in all 11 games and had a 39.8 yardsnet punting average, which ranked seventh nationally and was the third-bestmark in school history. While Pakulak is a big part of thoseaccomplishments, the rest of the punting unit deserved much of the creditalso.
“We have a great snapper in Coleman (Barnes) … and knock on wood, wehaven’t had a punt blocked since I’ve been here,” he said.
“Coach Nelson’s always tried to stress getting the best guys up front to giveme the best protection.”
However, once that protection is gone, the punt is in the air, and Pakulakbecomes a defender, he knows that all bets are off and it is every man forhimself.
“I like to try and go make tackles. A guy might see that and get mad at meand come purposely at me the next play,” Pakulak said. “So I’ve got to watchmyself, just like everybody’s got to watch themselves when they’re on thefield.”
But watching himself does not mean standing on the sidelines as the actiontakes place. To Pakulak it means mixing things up, trying to make thetackle.
After all, making a big hit is just one of the reasons Pakulak devotes moretime than most punters to the weight room. He cites intimidation as anotherfactor. Although he is still smaller than most players out on the field,Pakulak thinks that the opposition may think twice about giving him a cheapshot because he is so much bigger than other punters and place-kickers.
“I think it’s also a little bit of an advantage, a guy on the other side maynot want to come after me, when he sees that I am a little bit bigger of aguy,” Pakulak said. “He’s thinking, ‘Hey I’ll just leave him alone,’compared to if I was a smaller guy and he thinks he can just lay me out.”
While he does believe that being a “bigger guy” is an attribute for all thesereasons, it was not and still is not the reason he hits the weight room somuch. Instead Pakulak credits his dad, a bit of jealousy and nothing betterto do for why he initially got into lifting at UK.
“My dad was always a big guy and I was always a skinnier kid growing up,” hesaid. “And the weight room here is unbelievable. The facilities here arejust amazing.
“Punters don’t do much in practice anyway, so I have a lot of free time.”The extra weight isn’t something Pakulak says helps his kicking game. Hepointed out how some of the best kickers and punters in the NFL are smallguys.
“You see some of the best kickers in the world and they are tiny guys,” hesaid. “Kicking is just a mental game.”
A mental game where Pakulak has the attitude of a punter mixed in with alittle linebacker.
When asked which he would rather do, hit someone or boom a 65-yard punt,after a long pause he responded, “Can I do both?”
When told he had to choose one, he answered, “Boom a 65-yard punt, it is myjob.”
Then he added with a big smile, “But hitting is fun.”
