In Battle of Rival kickers, former Wildcat Nick Folk excels

FOXBOROUGH, MA – With the New England Patriots (5-6) tied 17-17 with seconds to go, former Wildcat Nick Folk came up in the clutch to deliver the 20-17 win.

Not typically known for the play of their special teams, it was former Wildcat Nick Folk that put forth a good name for the Arizona Football program on Sunday afternoon.

Even at the ripe old age of 36, Folk showed he’s still got it, as the veteran kicker continued his remarkable run as the Patriots’ kicker. Now having made 18-straight field goals on the year, Nick is 19 of 21 on field goals this year and is having one of his best seasons yet.

Arizona Wildcats

With the Patriots having a very unprecedented year, he has been one of the few bright spots, and with their team essentially facing a must-win against the Arizona Cardinals, it was Nick that came up big, drilling a 50-yarder as time expired, to deliver the 20-17 win.

It is worth mentioning that New England and Folk were set-up prior to the kick, especially after Arizona’s Isaiah Simmons got called for unnecessary roughness on a crucial third-down that put the Patriots into Cardinals’ territory.

But prior to that, Arizona even had a chance to take the lead in the game and maybe even win but failed to do so. With the game tied 17-17 with 1:52 left to play, former ASU kicker Zane Gonzalez lined up for a 45-yard attempt, and pushed the ball right, just missing the uprights.

With the miss, former Sun Devil Zane is now 16 of 21 on the year and has seemingly built a reputation of missing crucial kicks. This year, Zane has accounted for at least two, maybe even three Cardinals’ losses.

Even in the Wildcats’ struggles this year on the gridiron, at least as fans, we can find solace in the fact that our former pros are excelling at the professional level when it matters, unlike some pros from the school up North. As always, Bear Down, Arizona!