Steven Sawicki will take over as the starting kicker this Saturday when No. 2 Clemson travels to Louisville to face the Cardinals at high noon in Cardinal Stadium.

The senior, who transferred from North Carolina A&T, made his only kick–26 yards–in last week’s win over Florida State. He also made both extra points for the Tigers after taking over for B.T. Potter, who was pulled after he missed on a 24-yard attempt in the second quarter. It was Potter’s fourth miss on just nine attempts and his third in his last four kicks.

“It feels pretty good,” Sawicki said about being the starter. “I was the man at (North Carolina) A&T, so stepping in here, I just feel I have to do my job and I’ll be alright.”

The Fayetteville, North Carolina native said even though he was surrounded by 80,000 fans, the kick felt like he was in practice.

“We come out and practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and we are practicing at 26 yards. It built my confidence up a lot.

“I just feel like I should always be ready. Especially in this those type of games where you start to score a little bit more. He likes to get a lot of people in the game. I’m ready anyways.”

Sawicki and Potter have a great relationship and look to each for encouragement. They are not competitors. They understand the struggles of being a kicker, so they always have each other’s back.

“He’s fine. I’ve got his back no matter what, and he’s got my back…It’s just a lot of support,” Sawicki said. “We have to have each other’s back because we are the only ones who know what we go through as kickers. We have to have each other’s back no matter what to help build our confidence.”

We are pleased to announce a new partnership with Fanatics.  This is great news for Tiger fans as they have the officially licensed Clemson gear.

The Clemson Insider will get a portion of all sales so get ready for another championship season by ordering your Clemson gear today and help support TCI.