Barth still looking for first college tackle

When freshman kicker Casey Barth first stepped on the field in Kenan Stadium this year, it was no surprise to Tar Heel fans — they were used to having a kicker with “Barth” on the back of his jersey.

But Casey (not Connor) is intent on making a name for himself at North Carolina. And by winning the starting job early in the season and converting 9 of 13 field goals this season, he’s begun to do just that.

Against N.C. State his week, Barth will look to bounce back from a tough miss off the upright at Maryland that would have extended a second-half lead for the Tar Heels in what ended up being a loss.

But first, SportSaturday Editor Mike Ehrlich caught up with Barth during the week to chat about surfing, making tackles, and Butch Davis’ sense of humor.

Mike Ehrlich: What does it feel like when you watch one of your kicks sail through the uprights?

Casey Barth: It’s a good feeling. It’s a feeling of accomplishment, like you did your job, helped the team out.

ME: What about when you watch it go wide?

CB: It’s terrible.  It’s the worst feeling in the world.

ME: Who’s the best tackler: you, (kicker) Jay Wooten, or (punter) Terrence Brown?

CB: I haven’t seen any of us tackle yet, but Terrence has the only hit, so I’m going to say he’s the best tackler.

ME: What’s the best hit you’ve ever laid on anybody?

CB: In high school, we got a field goal blocked, and our holder picked it up. And I was blocking for him, and I pancaked somebody one time. That was pretty cool.

ME: Have you hit anybody on this team yet?

CB: No, not yet.

ME: Are you looking forward to the chance?

CB: I don’t know. (smiles) Maybe.

ME: Growing up with Connor (a four-year starting kicker for UNC and Casey’s older brother) did you guys fight a lot?

CB: When we were younger, we’d be competitive about everything, so we’d get in arguments and stuff over games, but that’s about it.

ME: Who would usually win when you competed?

CB: Connor. But we played ping pong a lot, and I beat him every now and then in ping pong.

ME: Do you ever feel like you’re in his shadow here?

CB: I’ve never really had that feel. In high school he kicked before me, and then here. I just kind of do my own thing.

ME: Being a freshman, did you have any typical duties to do in the beginning of the year?

CB: Not too bad. Just little things, like when we went to the hospital one time, I had to carry all the stuff. And just carrying the ball bag around the field sometimes, they make the freshmen do that.

ME: Are you looking forward to passing that on to someone else next year?

CB: Yeah, it’ll be pretty fun just telling them they have to do it.

ME: Name one thing about Butch Davis that most people don’t know.

CB: He’s funny. He just makes random jokes out of the blue. He’s a cool guy.

ME: If it wasn’t football, what sport would you be playing?

CB: Probably soccer. I played on travel soccer teams my whole life.

ME: I hear you’re a big Subway fan. What’s your favorite sub?

CB: Chicken bacon ranch. All the time. Every time.

ME: Being from Wilmington and growing up with Connor, who made it well known that he loved to surf, did you surf a lot?

CB: I didn’t get into it as much when I was younger. Connor was more into it, but I did it every now and then. I’m all right at it. I haven’t done it in a while, so I’d be pretty rusty.

ME: Do you think any of your teammates could pick up surfing?

CB: Maybe some of the kickers, just because they have really good balance. Some of the bigger guys, it would probably be tough, just because they weigh too much.

ME: Which one of your teammates would look the goofiest on a surfboard?

CB: Probably (offensive lineman) Kevin Bryant. Just because he’s like 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds.