Nov. 16, 2007

By Mandrallius Robinson, The Greenville News

When Furman faces Western Carolina in Saturday's season finale, one Paladin will surely put his best foot forward.

Scott Beckler, a senior from Anderson, has been Furman's starting kicker the past four seasons, and will toe the line for the final time.

"I've enjoyed it," Beckler said. "It's been a lot of fun. I've had a chance to do a lot of things that I didn't get to do in high school. I got to kick some long kicks. I got to score a lot of points, because the team scored a lot of points. It's just been a lot of fun. I'm kind of sad that this is going to be the last one."

Beckler has recorded a .949 average on extra points and converted 45 of 76 field goal attempts. He has tallied 304 total points and was named first-team All-Southern Conference by the media in 2004 and 2005.

Just eight points away from becoming Furman's all-time kick scoring leader, Beckler will leave a big footprint in the Paladins' program, but not every kick has been a chip shot.

"He won some games for us," said senior fullback Jerome Felton. "Then, we lost some games on some kicks, but that's football. He's been our guy for four years. It's not an easy job. We just knew that he was going to have to win some games for us, even if some haven't gone the way he would've wanted it to. We knew we were going to stick behind him through it all.

"He's had a good career here. He's been solid. If you're a team you're going to stick by a guy no matter what the situation is."

"That's the thing about being a kicker," Beckler said. "If you don't have that support from your teammates or your coaches, it makes it a lot harder. I've been blessed to have my teammates and coaches behind me. It has made it a lot easier."

Furman coaches did not make things easy for Beckler when he first arrived four years ago. A Shrine Bowl selection from T.L. Hanna High, Beckler was thrust directly into the lineup as a true freshman.

"I matured a lot with that fall season, getting thrown into the college game my first time out," Beckler said. "It forced me to mature. I think it was really good for me. I'm more confident on the field. I'm more of a leader on the special teams."

Beckler's leadership is not limited to the locker room. He is also a leader in Furman's record book.

He holds the school record for the longest field goal, as he knocked through a 54-yarder against Presbyterian College earlier this season.

But he believes his mark could be broken in "Short" order.

"Our freshman kicker Chas Short has a chance," Beckler said. "He has a strong leg. If he works at it, I think he can break it."