FORT COLLINS — Ben DeLine grew up knowing he was born to kick for Colorado State.
After all, his father, Steve DeLine, kicked for the Rams during the 1980s, and Ben was born soon after his parents attended a CSU football game in 1989.
DeLine, a freshman from Steamboat Springs, didn’t know that first kick would come so soon — Sunday in front of perhaps 70,000 fans at Invesco Field at Mile High.
“Steamboat Springs to Invesco. That’s pretty good,” CSU special-teams coach Larry Lewis said.
DeLine was named the starter against Colorado after incumbent Jason Smith broke his arm Saturday in practice.
“Our noncontact work has a little contact. We thudded too hard,” CSU coach Steve Fairchild said. The injury occurred on an errant snap.
The coaching staff learned Sunday that Smith broke his upper arm. It is not expected to be a season-ending injury for the senior, who has made 73 percent of his field-goal attempts and missed only one extra-point try since taking over the starting job midway through his freshman year as a walk-on from Arapahoe High School. He was also going to be the punter this year.
Steve DeLine, who kicked for CSU in 1984, 1986 and 1987, and wife Karen DeLine watched a 35-35 tie with Eastern Michigan on Sept. 23, 1989. Ben kicked his way into the world the next morning.
Not to put more pressure on the only true freshman listed as a starter, Fairchild said, “If he’s half as tough and half as good as his dad, he’ll be a great kicker for us.”
DeLine also will handle kickoffs. Every phase of the kicking game is new from punter (Anthony Hartz) to kicker to deep snapper (junior college transfer Scott Albritton) to Lewis himself.
“It never crossed my mind, except for about 1 o’clock every morning,” Lewis said, finding some humor in the situation.
Footnotes.
CSU’s first depth chart was released with few surprises. After all the fuss over incoming wide receivers, veteran Dion Morton and Rashaun Greer will likely start. The running back will be a game-day decision between Gartrell Johnson and Kyle Bell. . . . Fairchild left no doubt he wants the CU-CSU game in Denver — every year.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
