Aaron Boumerhi on his Journey From Surgery to Game Winning Field Goal

BC's kicker made the kick of the year so far for the Eagles, but it hasn't been an easy six month for the Temple transfer.

It wasn't an easy road that led kicker Aaron Boumerhi to hit a 36 yard field goal that gave Boston College the win over Texas State on Saturday. The Temple transfer, in his second year in maroon and gold, was the primary kicker in 2019, hitting 12/18 field goals. But in the offseason, he elected to have his second hip surgery, in March, right before the COVID-19 outbreak hit. 

"That (surgery) was obviously really tough, no matter what the situation is, and you had pandemic on top of it and trying to get, physical therapy....not being able to work out not being able to kick," Boumerhi explained. These unique challenges added road bumps to an already challenging situation.

Once he got to camp it was back to the basics for the graduate student kicker. He had to relearn how to swing his leg, and get back to all the nuances that go in to being a kicker. He battled during camp with it's ups and downs. But through it all, Boumerhi said he felt the support of his coaches and teammates. "If I needed a day, you know, to be down or if I needed a little pick me up, you know, that they always have my back."

In the season opener against Duke, head coach Jeff Hafley decided to go with kicker Danny Longman. The coach knew that "Boom" needed more time to prepare. It was a relatively smooth day for Longman who went 2/2 on field goal attempts in the game, but did miss an extra point. 

The head coach went back to his projected starting kicker against Texas State. According to his head coach, Boumerhi looked strong in practice all week. But on his first field goal attempt, a defender timed his jump perfectly and blocked the kick. Boumerhi realized these things happened, but was a little bummed because as he said, he thought he hit it perfectly. 

The two teams battled, with Texas State jumping out to a two score lead. BC roared back with two quick touchdowns of their own. With just over a minute left, BC got the ball back, and it looked like it would come down to Boumerhi and the special teams unit.

For kickers, they treat these last second field goals just like any other kick. "I try to just keep the mental out of it and just treat it like a normal kick," Boumerhi explained. With seconds remaining, Texas State head coach Jake Spavital began calling timeouts, three in all, to try and ice the kicker. Hafley, who has never had to deal with this type of situation, didn't know what to do, so he just gave Boumerhi his space. 

The kick was perfect. Right down the middle, as everyone on special teams from the holder, to the snapper, to the blockers did their jobs. For Aaron Boumerhi it was a big moment. "It was it was very special getting that kick, you know, that felt awesome. You can't even describe that feeling."