Cal: Kicker experiences thrill of a lifetime
Back home in Guildford, England, seven time zones and 4,800 miles away, Harry Adolphus’parents watched on TV as their son enjoyed the most exciting moment of his life.
Adolphus lined up in Cal’s backfield behind quarterback Jared Goff on a fourth-and-1 play midway through the third quarter at Utah. Goff shifted to one side, Adolphus took the snap and delivered a 57-yard punt that rolled dead at the 9-yard line.
“It was an incredible experience, that’s for sure,” Adolphus, the Bears’backup punter, said of his first college football play Saturday night in Salt Lake City.“It’s something I’ll remember the rest of my life.”
A fourth-year center and flyhalf on Cal’s powerhouse rugby team, Adophus joined the football squad last spring after working with former Bears kicker Giorgio Tavecchio.
Adolphus had played in front of rugby crowds as large as 15,000. But this game — with nearly 48,000 fans jamming Rice-Eccles Stadium — was something else. “Nothing like it with that many booing fans,” he said.
Harry’s stepfather, Clive Roberts, a former national-level rugby player in England, attended college at Florida State and has become a huge fan of American football. Because the Cal-Utah game was on ESPN, Harry’s parents were able to watch his big moment.
“It’s quite bizarre being on the other side of the world knowing my parents are watching,” Adolphus said.
So, is there more than punting in Harry’s future with the Bears? Could he use his rugby skill set to take on the kind of role that Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne has as a return specialist and running back with the 49ers?
“He’s a good athlete who can run around and do some stuff for us,” Cal coach SonnyDykes said of Adolphus, who at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, cannot match Hayne’s size.“We’re trying to figure out howto use him.”
Even the possibility fires up Adolphus, who said he hasn’t campaigned for a bigger role but hopes he can show his potential to the coaching staff. “That’s a big task. I’d love that, obviously,” he said. “It’s something you dreamof. Absolutely.”