Johnny Hekker, one of OSU’s unsung bright spots

The life of a punter may not be the most glamorous one.

Quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers get the spotlight, but punters have a big effect on a football game, even if people don't realize it.

As far as punters go, Oregon State's Johnny Hekker is one of the best.

He has been the punter since his freshman year in 2008. In 2009, Hekker was a semi-finalist for the Ray Guy Award, which is given to the nation's top punter. This season, Hekker is currently on the watch list for the same award.

Being a three-year starter prior to the 2011 season has been a big advantage for Hekker, who may be arguably having his best year right now.

"Playing football, you stack experiences upon experiences," Hekker said. "So I've had three years of failure and success to kind of draw from."

He ranks 12th in the nation right now in punting average, and is fourth in the Pac-12.

Hekker had likely his best game a few weeks ago at the University of Utah. He averaged 52.5 yards per punt and landed three punts inside the 20-yard line. Hekker was given College Performance Awards Punter of the Week honors for his performance.

"As far as having more punts — I think I had six punts or five punts — averaging that high was amazing," he said. "Every punt just came off the foot beautifully."

Oregon State head coach Mike Riley values the importance of special teams as an aspect of a football game. Reliability is the most important part of being a specialist, and Hekker has transcended into a spot where the team always knows he can be counted on.

"That consistency of what [Hekker's] doing has been very, very good," Riley said. "That establishes [you] in your area of expertise – as a punter or kicker – that establishes your identity. So in order to be a good kicker or good punter, you've got to be consistent."

While his services to the team are valued, being a specialist can often be a strange spot. At practices, they're only out on the field working with the team for about 30 minutes. The camaraderie that is shared between offensive and defensive players isn't the same for special teams.

"Special teams – we're kind of an isolated group, but we're all really close," Hekker said. "I feel like the rest of the team respects us. It's an important aspect of the game and special teams can have a lot of affect on the game, so we all just work reallybe with the team or up on the field by ourselves. Just kind of take pride in that; being a little different."

One part of Hekker's game that does get noticed is his ability to pull off the fake punt pass. Last year in the opener against Texas Christian University, Hekker hit Jordan Poyer on a fourth down fake to gain 23 yards. This season, in the team's first win over University of Arizona, Hekker converted a fourth down on a fake to Lance Mitchell.

He can credit that success to his days as a high school quarterback at Bothell High School in Washington.

Asked if it's more exciting to pin a team down deep in their own territory or pulling off a fake punt, Hekker said: "Fake punts are great, but I always love pinning the other team deep. Inside the 10, inside the five, that really gets me going because there's a threat of a safety off that good field position, and knowing that I contributed to the team and helping the defense out like that is amazing."

Besides his performance on the football field, Hekker has also been a big contributor off the field as a representative for OSU.

"All the Beavers Without Borders stuff I was able to be a part of," Hekker said. "We've got a university that really cares about making this world a better place, making this football program a better place as well."

Hekker and three other teammates went to Guatemala last March to assist in the building of houses for needy families, and most of the players did some of their own fundraising to make the trip possible.

With two games left, Hekker's future is approaching quickly. He still has aspirations to be a punter at the next level – the NFL.

"I'd love to keep playing the game, and if it materializes and I got a shot, then I'd love to take that shot and run with it," Hekker said. "I'm preparing myself to finish out with a strong education and whether that's the direction I choose or not, I'd love to keep playing, definitely."

Warner Strausbaugh, sports writer

sports@dailybarometer.com