CHAPEL HILL – You know times have changed in Chapel Hill when a player not named Barth will be kicking field goals for the Tar Heels out on the football field. It fact, it will be the first time since 2004 that Carolina will be starting a place kicker not from the Barth family.

Junior Thomas Moore will no doubt have big shoes to fill this season, but he says preseason training has been going along well.

“They’re going pretty well so far. I’ve hit about 80 percent or so of the field goals in preseason. That went well, so getting ready for the season start,” Moore said.

Moore (an East Chapel Hill High alum) says Connor and Casey Barth are not replaceable, but he says he thinks they taught him some valuable lessons that will aid him in the kicking department.

“Obviously, you can’t replace a Casey or Connor Barth. Those guys are just great guys. You learn from those guys. I’d say a lot of things you learn from Casey is like poise, how to handle the moment, things like that. He was really able to leave his touch on me when he was injured, and I was playing,” Moore said.

Fans all know that many ball games come down to the foot of the kicker. Moore says he understands this reality and says he is up to the challenge, ready for those pressure-cooker moments. He says all the repetitions in practice will lead to him being ready to go when the time comes in the game.

And how does Moore feel about the opener against South Carolina? Well, he says he’s pretty pumped up about the trip down to Columbia and is ready for the crazy atmosphere that awaits him.

“It’s a great opportunity to go in front of the national crowd with millions of people watching. It will be a great environment especially with their fans I know they’re going to be excited to get the game on,” Moore said.

Related Stories
‹
Boston Breeding Confidence in Tar Heels
Boston says he’s happy his defense is being underrated. He says he relishes being under the radar and remains confident in his teammates’ abilities to get pressure and cause some problems for opposing offenses.
Gio Shining In NFL Pre-Debut
Cincinnati Bengals running back Bernard is already turning heads in his rookie NFL preseason.
Fedora Worried About Heisman Hopeful Defender
UNC head football coach, Larry Fedora, says South Carolina’s Heisman hopeful Jadeveon Clowney is something to worry about as kickoff inched closer--now less than three weeks away.
UNC’s Tre Boston in Hunt for Jim Thorpe Award
Senior Tar Heel safety Tre Boston was named a top candidate for the prestigious Jim Thorpe Award on Friday, adding the ninth preseason nomination for the UNC football team.
Art’s Angle: The Last Walk
I hope Mack and Sally Brown, after their supporters and naysayers said goodbye in their own ways, found a quiet moment to have a good cry.
Art’s Angle: The Mack-rocosm
Last November, I asked Bubba Cunningham if Mack Brown might retire after the 2023 football season. He said, “It’s up to him.” “I thought you were the athletic director,” I responded, half-jokingly. “It’s up to him,” Bubba repeated, as he smiled and walked away. Then Carolina lost its last three games for the second straight […]
Art's Angle: Believe It Or Not
There have been some classic Carolina-Duke football encounters over their 110 games in the last 136 years. Some the Tar Heels deserved to win but lost, like Mack Brown’s first blueblood rivalry game in 1988, when they dropped an interception in the end zone that would have secured a victory. Some they deserved to lose […]
Art’s Angle: Carolina 2.0
Here is a trivia question for you. When was the last time Carolina started a football season 5-1 before Saturday’s weird and wonderful win at Miami? It was Larry Fedora’s best season in 2015, after the Tar Heels lost the opener to South Carolina in Charlotte and then reeled off 11 straight Ws on the […]
Art’s Angle: Heels Have ‘A Chance’
Three take-aways from Carolina’s pleasing 41-10 win over Virginia Tech. The Hokies (along with Commonwealth cousin Virginia) may be the worst team in the ACC, a shadow of what they used to be. The ACC Coastal Division and the mythical “State Championship” are still out there for the Tar Heels to win. Drake Maye has […]
Art’s Angle: Showing Their Irish
Don’t let the 45-32 final score deceive you: this was one of the most disappointing days in the history of Kenan Stadium and Carolina football. Mack Brown has done a tremendous job reigniting the enthusiasm around his sport, and Saturday was supposed to be the game that proved his program could compete against the best […]
›