WKU Football’s season hung in the balance of their kicker Saturday evening.
At the Jacksonville State 33-yard line with seven seconds left, the Hilltoppers found themselves down one with a chance to salvage a tough November and right the ship to the Conference USA championship game. A loss, however, would extend a two-loss skid into a three-game losing streak and knock the Hilltoppers out of conference title contention.
Who does Head Coach Tyson Helton send out for the win?
His teammates call him “Lucas the Leg,” but you can call him Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week Lucas Carneiro.
“They (Carenrio’s teammates) all make nicknames for me. They’re all like, ‘get to this yard line and we can go kick it, put it on his foot,’” Carneiro said. “They all have my back.”
Whatever his teammates, coaches or fans call him, Careneiros’ kicking was instrumental in WKU’s win against Jacksonville State. The usually high-scoring WKU offense only mustered one touchdown in the game, leaving Careneiro’s leg to carry the Hilltoppers.
The redshirt sophomore went a perfect 4-4 against the Gamecocks, nailing two kicks from 50 yards out. Carneiro’s coveted kick against Jax State was from 50 and the game-winner. He lined up on the right hash and slid the ball through the right-most upright, bringing the Hilltoppers to their first C-USA championship game since the 2021 season.
“That last drive offensively, I was like, ‘if I can just get it around the 35 (yard line) I know Lucas will get it done,’” Helton said in a press conference after Saturday’s win.
Carneiro, however, said he treated the kick just like any other. He said thinking about the situation would lead his mind to “start to wander.”
“My mentality is every kick’s the same, no matter what,” Carneiro said.
This season, Carneiro’s words ring true – almost every kick has been the same. Carneiro’s lone fault on the year, a 38-yard miss, came in WKU’s season opener at Alabama. Since then he’s been automatic, setting a program record with 15 straight field goal makes.
“In my eyes, he’s the best kicker in college football,” Helton said – perhaps the most flattering nickname Carneiro has garnered this season. “He’s a very, very, very talented person and he’s very much clutch.”
Coming out of Cornelius, North Carolina, Carneiro is in his second year as the Hilltoppers’ starting kicker, going 9-12 on field goals last season. His biggest improvement from year one to year two has been his range.
Last year, Carneiro’s season-long was a 45-yard kick against Middle Tennessee State. This year, Carneiro has made five kicks from over 50 yards, including a career-long 54-yarder against UTEP.
Carneiro credited his conditioning as a reason for his increase in range.
“I definitely got a lot stronger in the weight room. Everything starts in the weight room,” Carneiro said.
He also said, no matter the range, he has to stick to “the fundamentals of kicking.”
“Whether it’s an extra point to a long field goal, just truly sticking to it,” Carneiro said.
If the Hilltoppers find themselves in another close game against the Gamecocks on Friday, Carneiro said he feels confident in his abilities to hit a game-winner from 60 yards out.
“I think I have confidence in myself to go out there and do it. At the end of the day, they’re going to put me in the best situation,” Carneiro said. “I kind of leave it up to them when I’m called upon to go out there and do my thing.”
Sports Editor Jake McMahon can be reached at [email protected]
