DeLine, Hartz to handle CSU's kicking, punting duties

By Jim Benton, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 25, 2008 at 3:44 p.m.
Updated August 25, 2008 at 3:44 p.m.

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FORT COLLINS — Colorado State will have a new placekicker and punter Sunday when the Rams face Colorado in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Invesco Field at Mile High (5:30 p.m., FSN Rocky Mountain).

Jason Smith, a senior from Arapahoe High School, was scheduled to handle both the placekicking and punting, but he broke his upper right arm during Saturday’s non-contact scrimmage.

“It’s not a season-ending injury, but he will be out for an undetermined length of time,” first-year Rams coach Steve Fairchild said Monday. “I’m fairly certain he will be back this year. He is definitely out for Sunday.

“Our non-contact has a little contact. We try to stay off the ground, but there was an errant snap and it could have been avoided, but those things happen. ... When it happened I was standing right there and I just thought he bruised his arm. He walked off and I didn’t think it was anything serious at the time. But unfortunately for him and us, it is.”

Smith has made 33-of-45 field-goal attempts for the Rams and ranks third on their all-time field-goal percentage list at .733. He has made 67-of-68 career extra-point attempts.

Ben DeLine, a freshman from Steamboat Springs, will take over the placekicking and kickoff chores. Anthony Hartz, a junior-college transfer from Santa Barbara College, will punt.

“Everybody has injuries and people have to step up,” Fairchild said.

DeLine is the son of former CSU kicker Steve DeLine, and his uncle, Dave, kicked three seasons for CU.

“If he’s half as good and as tough as his dad, he’ll be a great kicker for us,” Fairchild said of Ben DeLine. “He’s young, and if this was ideal, Jason Smith would be on the field Sunday night.”

Welcome to the roster: Twenty-five newcomers were on the CSU depth chart released Monday.

There were five true freshmen, 16 redshirt freshmen and four junior-college transfers. Of those, one freshman (Deline), two redshirt freshmen (linebacker Mychal Sisson and cornerback Brandon Owens) and one junior-college transfer (Hartz) were listed as starters.

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