Dodge packs an added punch to ECU special teams

Punter earns respect in the weight room

By: Kellen Holtzman

Posted: 7/23/08

What is the perception of most kickers in college football?

Most probably imagine a short and scrawny walk-on, one who spends most of his Saturdays on the sideline and his time in the weight room cowering in the corner. Others see a timid special-teamed individual being toppled over by or easily shaken off by breakaway return men.

ECU Head Coach Skip Holtz can breathe a little more easily than most coaches; his last line of defense, junior place-kicker and punter Matt Dodge, doesn't fit the mold of a typical kicker.

A passion for strength and conditioning has added a bevy of muscle to Dodge's 6-feet-2, 220-pound stature.

Mike Golden, ECU's director of strength and conditioning, doesn't recall working with a kicker that has paralleled Dodge's ability and intensity in the weight room.

"In the weight room--it's not even close," said Golden, comparing Dodge to other kickers. "He's unbelievable. He's an animal. He's big and ripped, but he keeps his flexibility. As long he keeps that kicking stuff good--he can get as big as he wants."

Dodge's athletic ability was recently on display in the team's annual Strongman Competition, an event aimed at rewarding the team for its hard work in strength and conditioning. The showcase also serves as a barometer for just how far the team has come in the Holtz-Golden era.

Dodge may be a kicker and a punter on the fielder, but in the Strongman Competition, he is just another athlete-and an impressive one at that.

Dodge finished third out of nine competitors in his event, which involved being strapped into a harness and pulling a 300-pound sled.

Not bad for a punter, right?

"You're never going to get the full respect of everybody just because of your position," said Dodge. "I work really hard in the weight room and that's just a passion I've always had-and I work hard out here [the field]…if you perform in the game, you will get all the respect you need."

Dodge doesn't have any trouble earning respect from deep snapper Wilson Raynor, who hikes the ball to Dodge on fourth downs.

"Look at the guy," said Raynor, pointing to his teammate. "What is there to say? He looks like a linebacker. Everybody knows he works as hard as he can. He goes in there and works just as hard as everybody else, if not harder."

Aside from his athletic prowess, Dodge also has an FCS national championship victory under his belt, care of Appalachian State in 2005.

His time spent on a then-budding FCS powerhouse gives the strapping player all the confidence needed to master environments like the ones he will face in the Virginia Tech game in Charlotte and N.C. State in Raleigh.

"I got more experience that freshman year than I could ever imagine," Dodge said of his one season at ASU. "Being able to have the opportunity to play on ESPN as a little 18-year-old kicking in the national championship game--there's no substitute for that."

Dodge's fond memories of glory don't have an effect on his desire, or lack thereof, to schedule a visit from his former team anytime soon though.

"When I played, we went down to Baton Rouge and played LSU and we played them real tough." Dodge said of the Mountaineers' talent level. "I would say the biggest difference is the size across the front.

"…Speed-wise, they're pretty close to us, but I would say overall we are a lot bigger than they [ASU] are."

Dodge's disdain of cold weather and pursuit of a construction management degree contributed to his return to eastern North Carolina. The former all-state kicker and class president at West Carteret High School plans to go into business with his father in his hometown of Morehead City.

As for his work on the field, Dodge punted 80 times for 3,307 yards in his first season as a Pirate in 2007.

Dodge's season highlights included a booming 67-yard punt in the first quarter at UTEP and the second-longest punt in Hawaii Bowl history, a 61-yarder in the second quarter.

Powerful punts are impressive but placement is equally important in a punter's world. Dodge's best outing in this regard came against Houston when he guided five punts inside the 20-yard line.

His duties may not always be limited to kicking however; Dodge brought Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to life last season against in N.C. State with a nine-yard first down run on a gutsy fake-punt call.

If he can improve his consistency, expect Dodge to have a big year in 2008--and don't be surprised if Holtz and offensive coordinator Todd Fitch have something sneaky drawn up for Dodge this season.

Dodge is especially looking forward to ECU's first game in Charlotte, the former home of Todd Sauerbrun, a feisty ex- Carolina Panthers punter, who many have likened Dodge to.

"It's been a dream of mine to play in Charlotte," said Dodge. "I'm going to have a lot of family coming down there [Charlotte] and that's probably the game I'm most looking forward to."

August 30, the Pirates will face off against Virginia Tech in a noon kickoff at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.com.