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.