A Kick for the Ages: Tate Sandell Q&A

By: Toby Rowland, Voice of the Sooners

A prayer. A wink. A nod ... and a kick for the ages!

Tate Sandell stood at midfield all alone. A man on an island in the middle of a sea of pulsing anxiety. Fans, teammates, opponents, the whole college football world focused on the 5-foot-9 kid from Port Neches, Texas, with short pants and a lethal left foot who stood all alone in south Dallas.

"It kinda felt forever," Sandell said.

With the biggest moment of his football life and the biggest moment of this Oklahoma season moments away, Sandell wasn't thinking about his routine or the suffocating pressure. He was standing in the middle of the Cotton Bowl reflecting on his two late grandfathers.

The following is an exclusive conversation with Sandell about his 47-yard field goal to beat No. 1-ranked Texas and how one of the biggest Sooner moments in OU-Texas history transpired. Tate Sandell - OU vs. Texas

Q: When the fourth quarter was unfolding and it was obvious the game could come down to a kick, was your heart racing?
Sandell: "There's definitely some adrenaline. (Former Sooner) Tyler Guyton was over by my kicking net and he kept saying to me, 'We've got all the confidence in the world in you.' Ultimately, the most pressure-filled moments that people will sometimes shy away from, I want those moments at the highest level."

Q: When Courtland Guillory came up with the interception, did you spring to life? Did you go get a couple of practice kicks in?
Sandell: "I didn't smile. I just put my helmet back on and said, 'All right.' About five minutes prior, I went down and prayed. I said, 'Look, I'm not asking you to help me make the kick, I just want you to give me a chance to do what I can do.' So once that happened I said, 'Here's my chance.' Guyton told everybody to get the hell out of the way in front of my net and I went to work. I got in the zone and got ready for the moment. That's what you practice for. That's what you dream of as a young kid."

Q: Where did you go pray?
Sandell: "I've got a little spot over by the fan. It was nice and cool, blowing some cold air. Grayson Miller prays with me all the time after every kick, make or miss. It's inspired me to be more intentional."

Q: Did you give Coach Venables a distance you felt good from?
Sandell: "I told them on that last drive there's no limits. I'm ready to roll from probably like 64 yards and in."

Q: Isaiah Sategna makes the two incredible catches and you're now in field goal range. You obviously must like the ball on the left hash because John Mateer put it there for you. Do you?Sandell: "I like it left center, especially on a crowned field. If you hit the ball pure it shouldn't matter, but the crowned field is a little different because when you're in the middle or right-middle it's like you're running uphill. If it's left-middle, I'm running downhill which is a little bit easier."

Q: Is there a big crown on the Cotton Bowl field?
Sandell: "There's enough to make you notice it. You've got to adjust your foot at contact so you're not hitting it on the left panel with toe up. It's just a minor technique change and feel thing."

Q: There's a timeout, then there's another timeout. You're standing in the middle of the Cotton Bowl by yourself. Does anybody say anything to you at all?
Sandell: John (Mateer) dapped me up, but other than that no one said anything. I don't really need any of that. Let's not make it bigger than it is. It's a 47-yarder just like I kick every Tuesday afternoon at practice. When we say it means something on Tuesday, there's a reason why we say that."

Q: Sark tries to ice you. What's going through your mind? Are you looking around? Are you saying anything to yourself?
Sandell: "I was thinking about my two grandfathers who passed away. We were very, very close and they never missed a game. Even when my grandaddy was in a wheelchair and had really bad dementia. I think about those times when it was much, much simpler. Three points is still three points. Forty-seven yards in high school is still 47 yards in college. It doesn't really matter how many fans are here. Just get in the zone and do what you do. At the end of the day it's a kids game. Make it that way. Use naive as a tactic."

Q: Did you know immediately?
Sandell: "Yeah. I did. Right off my foot. If I was blind and couldn't see, I would know based on the contact with my foot. I probably could've told you where the ball landed. It's a feel thing."

Q: Is that where you ran to? Your family?
Sandell: "Yeah. I didn't know where they were, but they were in that section. I couldn't find them right away so I just started pointing at everyone." Tate Sandell - OU vs. Texas

Q: I traded texts with Uwe von Schamann today. He has the most famous kick in OU history — 1977 vs Ohio State. They call it "The Kick." Your kick is going to go right there with it. You're a part of OU history forever. What does that mean to you?
Sandell: "It's a blessing. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life. It's a moment my family and I will always talk about at holidays and dinner tables. That's where I smile."

Q: Snapper Ben Anderson and holder Jacob Ulrich. You spend all day every day with these guys and it comes down to this. It's not just you. It all has to work. What's that relationship like
Sandell: "It's a true friendship. We love football just as much as everybody else. No matter how small our role may look, we know at the right time what our role can do. And focusing on that drives us at practice. We're so passionate about doing our job and the trust and chemistry is real. Ben looked back before the kick and I gave him a wink and a nod, and that's all it took."

Q: Do you always wink and nod at him?
Sandell: "No. That was just my way of saying, 'Let's go freakin' do this.' This is why you go to Oklahoma, just like Baker (Mayfield) said, to beat Texas."