Alone in his apartment in Eugene, University of Oregon sophomore Aidan Schneider frantically tried to get his online webcast of the Timbers' game to work properly.
"The 'Watch ESPN' browser wouldn't load on time, so I actually missed the first two goals," Schneider says. "I couldn't believe it when the game finally turned on and it was 2-0 already. I was just shocked."
The Timbers, who scored their first goal 27 seconds into the game and their second goal in the seventh minute, went on to beat Columbus 2-1 to win the MLS title on Dec. 6 and touch off a raucous celebration in Soccer City, USA.
"An amazing feeling to watch that," Schneider says. "There wasn't much of a reception that I noticed down here (in Eugene), but I was sure going crazy. It made me wish I was still living at home and playing soccer in high school so I could experience it a little more."
On Jan. 2, many of those same Portland sports bars that broadcast the Timbers' game will be showing Schneider on TV as a placekicker for the 15th-ranked Ducks (9-3) in their Alamo Bowl matchup against No. 11 TCU (10-2) in San Antonio.
That is surreal to think about for Schneider, a former Grant High soccer standout from Northeast Portland who has turned into one of the nation's best Division I college football kickers.
"It's pretty weird to think about people watching us on TV," says Schneider, who plans on enjoying bowl games on television with his family when he visits home for the holidays. "There's a big disconnect from watching other games on TV and then actually doing it on the field yourself. It seems like two different worlds."
Schneider, who entered Oregon as a walk-on kicker in summer 2014, is now entrenched in the college football world after spending most of his childhood focused on soccer.
Schneider's decision to focus on football was rewarded Saturday when Oregon coach Mark Helfrich announced to the team that Schneider was being placed on scholarship. It was an emotional moment for Schneider, who was hoisted in the air by his celebrating teammates.
"He's the man," Oregon senior offensive lineman Tyler Johnstone says.
As a true freshman for the Ducks last year, Schneider took over as the starting kicker midseason and finished with 11 successful field goals in 12 attempts. That included field goals in the pressure-packed final three games that started with the Pac-12 championship game, continued with the Rose Bowl and ended with the national championship game.
Despite the success, Schneider couldn't believe his eyes when he saw his name listed among the 30 finalists last July for the Lou Groza Award, which is annually given to the nation's top kicker.
"Didn't expect that at all," he says.
Schneider then took the field this fall and continued to excel. He finished the regular season 20 of 22 on field goals, making all four attempts of 40 or more yards, with a long of 41. Even though he missed out on the Groza Award, Schneider has received his share of accolades this month.
Schneider was a first-team all-Pac-12 selection and was the
recipient of the Vlade Award, which the Touchdown Club of Columbus (Ohio) gives to the nation's most accurate kicker. Schneider earned the honors for making 90.9 percent of his field-goal attempts and going 62 for 62 on PATs. Schneider's team-high 122 points is second in the nation.
"That people recognize what I've been doing and what I've accomplished is really cool," Schneider says. "In the beginning, nobody really knows you, because you've got to prove yourself when you come in. People might think at first it's a fluke and you're going to start missing."
Schneider also was named to The Associated Press All-American third team this month, but had to laugh when the AP nationally released the list and had him as "Adam Schneider."
Johnstone, a second-team All-American selection by the Football Writers' Association of America, believes Schneider hasn't received as much credit as he should for his consistent work.
"We've struggled with kickers in the past here and the thing that kind of sucks about it is I don't think people are talking about him enough," Johnstone says. "We've always heard about our kickers not doing well and fans would be all up in a hissy about it. But then Aidan comes in here and is just killing it, and no one is talking about him.
"He's just a lights-out kicker, and I don't think enough has been said about him, and that's been disappointing. He just goes out there, nails a kick and then goes back to the sideline. He's been awesome."
Schneider has been a pleasant surprise for Oregon special teams coordinator Tom Osborne, who labeled Schneider as "a project" upon his arrival in Eugene. But Schneider, who has closely studied college and NFL kickers since joining the Grant football team as a junior, quickly impressed Osborne with his physical and cerebral ability.
"His mental toughness," Osborne says of Schneider's biggest strength. "He doesn't give a hoot. ... He doesn't get too stressed out. Most common thing with kickers and punters is they play mind games with themselves. They try so hard, and it doesn't go the way they want and they try to adjust and fix it. They want to please and be successful, and they start to spiral downhill sometimes. He's never experienced that."
Osborne was particularly impressed when he watched Schneider, as a walk-on true freshman, calmly kick field goals in the Rose Bowl and national championship game last January.
"It didn't faze him," Osborne says. "He's a different guy mentally. That's what makes him good. That's what you want."
Schneider understands that an occasional missed field goal is part of the job description. That's why he wasn't worried when his streak of 10 consecutive field goals to start the season ended during Oregon's game at Washington on Oct. 17.
After missing a 32-yarder in the fourth quarter, Schneider confidently made a 24-yard field goal five minutes later to help the Ducks beat the Huskies 26-20.
Schneider's most memorable field goal of the season was a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to cap Oregon's scoring in a 38-36 win at Stanford on Nov. 14. It wasn't quite the buzzer-beater moment he's dreamed about, but Schneider's three-point kick proved the winning margin in a two-point win.
"That was probably the biggest sports moment of my life," Schneider says. "I don't think I've had any pressure kicks quite like that one. I miss that one and we very potentially lose that game. But I felt like I did a pretty good job of not thinking about all of that in the moment. Because before you do something you don't want to think, 'Oh my gosh, this is the most important thing ever.'
"So I just treated it like any other kick."
Schneider, who says he'd feel comfortable attempting a field goal of up to 55 yards in a game, will be ready if called upon for another key kick in Oregon's game against TCU.
The 2014 Grant grad then will enter the offseason with a focused mission to become even better as a junior in 2016. More than any individual honors, Schneider wants to make sure he is at his best to help the Ducks chase a national title.
After watching his beloved Timbers celebrate their first soccer championship, Schneider became even more inspired to someday experience a similar euphoria. "The most important thing with both sports is to always be consistent with whatever you're doing," Schneider says. "I'll always love soccer. But I am really enjoying football and would love to keep playing the sport at as high a level as I could. I'm excited wto see where this all goes in the next couple of years."
In the meantime, Schneider offers his sincere gratitude for the backing he's received from the people in the Grant High community. "I've been hearing from so many people that I haven't heard from in a while," Schneider says. "A lot of former teammates, kids from my class, older kids who went to school with my brother and even a couple teachers. The Grant community has been really great, and it means a lot to have their support."
Source: UO kicker gets scholarship, to boot
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