A kick and a smile

PULLMAN — Kyle Basler has probably seen more of the field than he’d like in the Cougars’ first two games. With the offense struggling at the start, Basler has already punted 17 times in 2004.

But that hasn’t stopped the junior from smiling. Basler gets made fun of from time to time for his occasionally goofy grin, but he doesn’t seem to mind — too much.

The former high school quarterback from Elma took some time from whatever it is specialists do during the week to talk punting, nicknames and more with The Spokesman-Review.

S-R: What in the world do you kickers and punters do during practice?

KB: What do we do? We’re different than kickers.

S-R: That’s the most important thing to know first?

KB: It’s totally different stuff. When special teams is on, we’ll be up here (on the practice fields), then we’ll go down (to Martin Stadium), do some pooch punts and directionals, passes with our feet and play catch to work on hands, different kinds of snaps. We do about 130 drops.

S-R: Are you trying to say you resent it when people lump you in with kickers?

KB: Yeah.

S-R: You’re better than that?

KB: I’m not saying that; it’s just a different position.

S-R: So you don’t play golf during practice.

KB: No. They probably think we have a barbecue down in the stadium, but no, not at all.

S-R: Do you have a nickname?

KB: Do I. I’ve had one since I was born.

S-R: And it is?

KB: The Bazz, spelled with two z’s so it’s not like (former Seahawks linebacker Brian) Bosworth.

S-R: Why don’t you have the haircut like his?

KB: (Grimaces) The half-mullet with stripes on the side? No.

S-R: It might improve your draft stock some day if you did that.

KB: No.

S-R: Let’s talk punting. What’s better: booming a 60-yarder or pooching one inside the 5-yard line?

KB: Pooching, by far.

S-R: Why’s that?

KB: Because it helps out the team. Naturally, both of them help out the team, but pooching helps out our defense especially because it forces the other team to go 90-plus yards. Booming a 60-yarder you can do backed up in your own end zone and you end up on the opposite 40. So the offense only has to go 60.

S-R: You do have to like kicking it that hard, though.

KB: It’s cool, but I take a lot more pride pinning them deep.

S-R: Tell the truth: Do you ever try and aim at people in practice when you punt?

KB: Oh, yeah. Well, when I’m warming up I’ll pick out camera guys and you media guys. I usually try to pick out the cameras, because they can’t blame me. I just say, “Oh, it was an accident.” And it really wasn’t.

S-R: The secret is out now.

KB: Yeah, I guess so. But I try and pick out people, people who aren’t paying attention or groups of people.

S-R: Punters usually love to get that one big hit. What’s the best one you ever put on someone?

KB: Rose Bowl. Antonio Perkins (of Oklahoma). Didn’t even see me coming. He was running down the right side, would have scored a touchdown. They were a wall-return team, so he was hauling down and our guys had gotten blocked. I came out from behind the wall with a full head of steam and leveled him. I knocked him out for a little bit. There were some questions about it being a penalty because it was close to out-of-bounds.

S-R: You got the benefit of the doubt, right?

KB: Definitely.

S-R: Because …

KB: … I’m a punter.