ATLANTA -- For Georgia State football, where there's a "Wil," there's a field goal. Or a punt. Or a kickoff.
Wil Lutz, the Panthers' senior kicker, says his father gave him the unconventional spelling of his first name to match his three-lettered older brother, Wes.
That equals his three-pronged role for the GSU special teams as he has become the Panthers' full-time punter this season to go along with handling placements and kickoffs.
A Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference pick, Lutz entered the season as Georgia State's career leader in field goals, extra points and points by kicking. Against Oregon, he became the Panthers' career scoring leader, now with 166 points to surpass current NFL receiver Albert Wilson.
Lutz has hit 25 career field goals, including 20-of-22 from 40 yards and in, and he is 91-for-92 on PATs. His longest field goal travelled 53 yards before 100,000 people at then No. 1-ranked Alabama in 2013, and another memorable kick was his game-winner last season against Abilene Christian.
This season, his added strength is showing on his kickoffs, with 14 out of 22 going into the end zone for touchbacks. And his punting is perhaps a pleasant surprise, as he leads the Sun Belt with a 46.6-yard average, giving the Panthers a net of 43.8 yards per punt that is fifth in the nation.
Lutz's mindset and routine have matured since a nervous freshman tried his first field goal from 37 yards at William and Mary in 2012.
"I remember my first field goal like it was yesterday. Because it was our very first drive of the game, I didn't expect to kick that early. When they called 'field goal' my heart kind of sank," he recalled. "But I made it.
"Now that I’m older, it’s more like a business mentality," Lutz continued. "I start warming up when we get to the 50. Usually I hit five or six so I get the feeling of the ball on my foot. When we get to third down, I’ll hit two in a row, then I’ll go stand next to Coach. If we make the first down, I'll go back and kick some more."
That business-like approach is challenged when Robert Davis catches a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of a drive at Oregon.
"As a kicker, you love it, but you hate it," Lutz said. "You’re just sitting there watching and admiring how great of a play it is, then you realize that you have to go kick.
“That’s actually how I missed my extra point. Albert Wilson scored on the first play of the game [vs. Jacksonville State in 2013], and I was admiring the play. I wasn’t ready and I pushed it right.”
Like many kickers, Lutz began as a soccer player at Northgate High School in Newnan, Ga.
"When you're kicking a football, you have to swing straight and drive through it, but with a soccer ball, you want to try to bend it or keep it down. You have to keep your shoulders over a soccer ball versus keeping your shoulders back with a football," Lutz explained.
"When I watch soccer, I miss it, but then they start running and I don't miss it."
A criminal justice major, Lutz plans to attend law school with an eye towards a career in sports law. In addition to football and soccer, he also draws from another sport with the rugby-style punting that he sometimes employs.
"Because I wasn't as consistent punting the ball last year, we installed the rugby punt so I could put the ball where it's supposed to be," he said. "On the rugby punt, you're trying to buy time for your gunners to get down the field. You run out and you drop the ball nose down so it goes end over end and rolls. For regular punting you drop the ball flat."
Even though punting did not come naturally for Lutz, he has taken to it this season.
"Now that I'm starting to get the hang of it, I kind of like it," he said. "The feeling of actually getting a hold of a punt is such a good feeling. Seeing it turn over and hang up there and then no return is a great feeling."
And seeing Wil Lutz trot on the field for any of his three jobs is a great feeling for Panther fans.
