Stanford kicker Conrad Ukropina relives game-winner against Irish

Stanford kicker Conrad Ukropina relives game-winner against Irish

When Conrad Ukropina was lining up his game-winning 45-yard field-goal try against Notre Dame on Saturday night, he was as calm as a weekend duffer on a driving range.

While the rest of Stanford Stadium braced in anticipation, the most intense spot was in the stands where the Stanford football parents sit.

“Everybody knows a 45-yard field goal is his sweet spot,” Linan (pronounced Lynn-Ann) said.

Every kick is the same kick — at a practice field in my hometown, or if it’s in Stanford Stadium to beat Notre Dame.

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly called timeout to try to ice him.

Three years earlier, when he was a redshirt freshman, he drove 8½ hours and watched as his predecessor, Jordan Williamson, booted an overtime field goal to knock off Oregon, the No. 1 team in the country, 17-14.

Kevin Hogan launched a flea-flicker touchdown pass to Michael Rector, but the offense was struggling in the first half after losing the previous Saturday at Northwestern.

[...] Ukropina nailed a 52-yard field goal just before halftime.

The Monday after that game, Ukropina made an appointment to see head coach David Shaw and ask (again) for a scholarship.

Few phone calls are more fun to make than the one telling parents they no longer have to pay for a Stanford education.

A fledgling quarterback, he had broken his throwing arm in a scrimmage before his freshman year.

Cal quarterback Jared Goff and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, who set a Pac-12 record with 3,305 all-purpose yards, each was named to the first-team All-Pac-12 team announced Tuesday.

McCaffrey, was a double first-team honoree as a running back and a return specialist.

In a strange twist, Washington State’s quarterback Luke Falk was named to the All-Pac-12 team — marking the first time two quarterbacks were named to the first team.

The two quarterbacks set school records for touchdown tosses this season:

From Stanford, tight end Austin Hooper and offensive linemen Joshua Garnett, and Kyle Murphy were named to the first-team offense, in addition to McCaffrey.

On defense, Stanford’s senior linebacker Blake Martinez was named to the first team.

Utah senior punter Tom Hackett earned first-team honors for the third consecutive season.

USC junior Su’a Cravens is a first-team selection for the second time, this time as a linebacker.