Frank Bodani

fbodani@ydr.com

Go back two years for one of the best kickers in the Big Ten.

He had quit college and quit soccer. He was installing fire sprinkler systems and taking community college courses as he figured out what to do next.

That's when he started kicking footballs for fun on the high school field next to his northern Virginia home.

He started working with a kicking coach.

And something clicked.

READ MORE: Penn State linebackers may return vs. Buckeyes

This is what he wanted to do, along with studying civil engineering. So Tyler Durbin sent a homemade video to a few new schools, including Ohio State — because his girlfriend's family are big Buckeye fans.

And then the most unexpected dominoes began falling, starting with a surprise invite to join the team. He hung on after a year of not even getting to kick in practice. Finally, he impressed head coach Urban Meyer and earned his shot.

And what a run he's on now. He married in July, won the starting kicking job in August, set a school record in September and helped save Ohio State's undefeated season last week by nailing all of his field goals in wet, raucous Camp Randall Stadium, the last one forcing overtime.

On Saturday, he will kick in front of another sold-out, prime time crowd on national TV, this time against Penn State in Beaver Stadium.

His most unexpected story actually is quite similar to Penn State kicker Tyler Davis, another low-key hero of sorts.

"I'm still not even sure how it happened," said Durbin, who played soccer at James Madison in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

READ MORE: OPINION: As Ohio State looms, it's a bad week for Penn State fans.

Durbin kicked a school-record 11 extra points in the season-opening victory against Bowling Green. He made a career-long 40-yard field goal last week at Wisconsin. He's made all eight of his field goals this year and leads the Big Ten in kick scoring.

Meanwhile, he's packed on 35 pounds to increase his leg strength and provide needed bulk to survive blocks and tackles on kickoffs. When he arrived coaches and teammates joked that he had the "smallest biceps that ever entered the Ohio State weight room."

"It's been crazy, the whole situation ...," said father Martin Durbin. "It's just shocking to me. The biggest (soccer) crowd he played in front of was maybe 2,500 people. I can't even imagine this now."

No headlines, no problem for Penn State's Davis

Durbin's ride to Big Ten stardom is similar to Penn State's Davis, the man he will kick against Saturday. Davis grew up in Illinois and played soccer at Bradley University, scoring the winning goal in his second game.

And like Durbin, he realized he wasn't in the place he should be halfway through college. He also had never kicked footballs in high school but decided to walk-on to a Big Ten football team anyway. He won the starting placekicking job halfway through last season and hasn't missed since.

He's made each of his 18 field goal attempts and all 30 of his extra points.

"To see an older guy that kind of goes about his business in school, goes about his business in football, doesn't get too high and doesn't get too low and is very consistent in his approach ... I think it's been really important," said Penn State coach James Franklin. "I use him as an example a lot with the other guys.

"I think his demeanor, his approach in meetings and just kind of how he is on game day, I think people look at that and they look up to him."

On Saturday, fans will view two of the best kickers around, neither of whom would have dreamed of this moment even a couple of years ago.

Just look at the civil engineer who almost didn't give football a shot.

"If someone told me I'd be the starting field goal kicker at Ohio State I wouldn't have believed them," Durbin said. "You really don't know what your limitations are until you test them."

Penn State kickoff

What: No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) at Penn State Nittany Lions (4-2, 2-1)

When: 8 p.m., Saturday

Where: Beaver Stadium (106,572)

TV: WHTM Channel 27

Radio: WSBA-910 AM, WGLD-1440 AM

The line: Ohio State by 19.5

The coaches: Urban Meyer is 56-4 in his fifth season at Ohio State and 160-27 in 15 seasons overall. James Franklin is 18-14 in his third season at Penn State and 42-29 in six seasons overall.