Dodge, Charger: He won at ASU in 2005, decided to move to ECU

Matt Dodge said that it's important to put individual goals second to team goals, but a peek inside his journal reveals one personal ambition that sits at the top of his motivational list.

"I write down in my journal every day, ‘Win the Ray Guy, win the Ray Guy,' " said Dodge, an East Carolina punter who is on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the nation's top college punter.

Aside from that indulgence, Dodge said he just wants to win.

That effort will start on Saturday when Dodge meets his former team, Appalachian State.

Dodge, a 6-2, 220-pound senior, could pass for a linebacker after bulking up more than 20 pounds since he was a freshman at Appalachian four years ago. He grew up as a soccer player, then made a career change at West Carteret High School.

"I was late to soccer practice my freshman year, and the coach told me to leave," Dodge said. "I was like, shoot, I'll go play football."

That worked out well. Dodge became a Shrine Bowl kicker and drew interest from a few college programs.

"I originally had made my mind up on going to East Carolina," he said. "I was set up to go to camp there the summer after my senior year. I had a dorm assignment and everything."

But, he said, he just wasn't sure. He felt as if he hadn't explored other options.

"I told my parents that I felt like I had decided so early, that I hadn't really put a lot of thought in it," Dodge said. "I had a visit set up to Appalachian State, and I loved it. I took another trip up there; me and my dad drove up for the weekend. I was still unsure about it, and we prayed about it every day. I just had a good feeling about Appalachian State and decided that's where I wanted to go."

Dodge had an immediate impact. The Mountaineers needed a punter, and he was it.

He played in all 12 games in 2005, averaged 39.7 yards a punt and capped his freshman season with a big performance in the NCAA Division I-AA championship game. He helped the Mountaineers to their first national title -- averaging 42 yards a punt and pinning three inside the 20-yard line against Northern Iowa.

After the season, Dodge decided to transfer. He said he had discovered that he was more at home near the coast than in the mountains.

"After that season, I just stepped back," Dodge said. "I was as happy as any national champion could be. I definitely respected the coaching staff. It was just different there from what I'm used to. I'm from Atlantic Beach. Going to the mountains was a change of pace, but I never really felt like I was at home there."

Jerry Moore, Appalachian's coach, said that there weren't and aren't any hard feelings.

"He was a really good kicker in high school, but so many of us (FCS schools) don't have scholarships for kickers," Moore said. "We like for those guys to walk on and earn scholarships. He needed a scholarship and we just didn't have one. It didn't have anything to do with his ability. We thought he was a good kicker, and we just didn't have a scholarship available for him.

"That was the biggest thing, he could get a scholarship (at East Carolina). And he had some friends there."

Dodge said: "I'm certainly grateful for Coach Moore, he allowed me to start as a freshman, and I gained so much experience that year.

"Winning a national championship, I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

"But I was six hours away from home. I had gotten a little homesick early. I had a lot of friends going to East Carolina. I wouldn't say that App State wasn't where I needed to be, I guess I was just indecisive."

Dodge said he hasn't looked back.

"Being a kicker, I try to have a short-term memory," he said.

As a transfer, Dodge had to sit out the 2006 season, and he knew that a roster spot wouldn't be available until the next season.

"I got the chance to be a normal college kid," he said. "My dad bought me four footballs, and I would go over to the intramural fields and kick by myself."

In 2007, Dodge won the starting job for ECU. He averaged 41.3 yards a punt and capped the season with 61-yard punt against Boise State in the Hawaii Bowl.

Last season as a junior, Dodge ranked 14th in the nation with a 43.9-yard average and also handled a few kickoffs. He had 20 punts spotted inside the 20 and boomed a career-best 73-yarder against Tulsa.

Dodge doesn't hesitate when asked about the key to being a good punter.

"Consistency," he said. "If you consistently hit a 44-yard punt, then you'll be a great punter. If you can get the other guy to fair catch a 44-yard punt, then you're a great punter.

"Early in my career, I tried to hit everything a little too hard. I would wind up with a decent average, but I'd have maybe a 30-yard punt and then come back with a 55-yard punt. The average was good, but I wasn't as effective as I'd like to be."

His numbers have improved every season. And his goals have grown.

"I'm not too concerned with personal goals, the main goal is to help East Carolina win," Dodge said. "I definitely have some figures I'd like to hit, but if I punt well, I feel like our team has a good chance to win. Getting those W's is the first goal.

"I wake up every morning, and I've got this little notebook I write in, and I have written some personal goals down for the year.… I definitely want to be the best I can be. I do that, it helps us win."

Among the notes: All-Conference USA and All-America.

"I'm definitely shooting for that," Dodge said. "I feel like I've got the ability, I've been blessed."

■ Tommy Bowman can be reached at 727-7320 or at tbowman@wsjournal.com.