This past weekend, MTSU football traveled north to face the University of Wisconsin-Madison, falling 42-10 on Saturday afternoon. With the anticipated outcome being just that, few Blue Raider fans made the 525-mile trek to witness the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
An announced attendance of 70,368 filled the Camp Randall Stadium seats, generating a tumultuous environment for the visiting team. But in the vast sea of Badger red and white lay a speck of MTSU blue in the stadium’s lower bowl, highlighted by a row of eight young men with a message crudely painted across their chests.
#95 WOODMAN
The shirtless, blue-painted dudes represented one of their own in Baylen Woodman, MTSU’s freshman kicker. Born and raised just a half hour south of Madison in Janesville, Wisconsin, Woodman returned home to face his childhood team.
“Being on the field where I grew up watching… really was just like homecoming almost,” Woodman said. “I was just super excited to get out there.”
After winning the opening coin toss, the Blue Raiders deferred possession to the second half, giving their freshman specialist the chance to kick off the game in his home stadium. It also gave him a chance to kick in front of his fan club.
Nearly 200 of Woodman’s family members, friends, teammates and teachers came to Saturday’s game in support of the hometown kicker. For Woodman, it was an opportunity to show them that he deserved to be there, he said.
“Showing them all I’d went through, in Camp Randall, and getting to kick, for me that was awesome,” Woodman said.
Amongst the 200 was Woodman’s immediate family: his father Josh Woodman, his mother Jennifer Woodman, stepmother Chelsea Woodman and sister Aliyah Woodman. Though the family lives and dies by the Badgers, most kept their Wisconsin gear in the closet on Saturday and rooted for a Blue Raider victory, Josh Woodman said.
“Saturday was an emotional roller coaster, but the pride and joy on Baylen’s face at the final whistle was the ultimate reward,” Josh Woodman said.
Despite his family cheering for MTSU this weekend, Baylen Woodman’s Wisconsin ties run deep. He comes from a long line of Badger believers and frequented Camp Randall as a kid.
He remembers traffic backing up the interstate, tailgates spanning over a mile and campus parties all over town being the staples of a Wisconsin game day. Growing up so close to the campus, being a Badger fan was a way of life, he said.
Even when trailing by 18 points at the end of the third quarter, he couldn’t resist his roots when it came time for the team’s “Jump Around” tradition.
“I think I was one of the only guys on the sideline to jump around,” Baylen Woodman said. “No one else was in the mood, but it’s almost in my blood. I’ve been jumping around my whole life, I had to.”
Though he’ll always bleed Badger blood, Baylen Woodman is quickly finding his footing in his new home. Through two games, the MTSU freshman has kicked off six times and recorded five touchbacks.
A week after decomitting from Northwestern University last December, he caught the eye of then Middle Tennessee special teams coordinator Luke Paschall and current head coach Derek Mason. As the No. 4 kicker in the nation, he committed to MTSU before visiting campus.
Despite holding other offers, Baylen Woodman chose Murfreesboro because it was the best fit, he said.
“When I got here, I loved it here and its history from there,” Baylen Woodman said.
Early playing time certainly factored into his MTSU decision and is paying off for the freshman so far. He’s currently the starting kick off specialist and looks to takeover field goal and PAT duties in the future. His longest in-game field goal was a 47-yarder in high school, however, he drilled a 68-yard field goal during spring practice, he said.
The Wisconsin native may be only two games into his freshman season, but his early performance and poise in front of a hometown crowd impressed his head coach.
“At some point in time man, you’re going to see this young man blossom into a really good kicker because his leg is extremely strong… it’s hard to go home and perform in a big stadium the way he did, so kudos to him,” Mason said following Saturday’s game.
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