"Linebacker-Kicker" Joey Slye Is "Perfect" According to Hokies' head coach Frank Beamer

It's an all too familiar sight at Virginia Tech practice. Joey Slye warms up, slowly moves further away from the goalposts, and his teammates chuckle at the absurd distance between Slye and the three-point try.

But then he drills it.

"When I look at him and he's warming up, we'll be walking through and we'll be like 'Joey, what are you doing? You're never gonna make that,'" said wide receiver Isaiah Ford. "Then he kicks it and just looks at me while it's going in."

Asked where his current personal record stands, Slye gave an astonishing answer.

"I have video of a 64 (yard field goal)," said Slye. "But I came in as a freshman, me and my friend were out there warming up, getting ready to kick and I hit a 70 (yard field goal) on the field. If my technique and all that stuff is right, I can get ahold of one from about 70."

Now knowing the strength of Slye's right leg, Frank Beamer's decision to attempt an unheard of 67-yard field goal at the end of regulation against Duke seems a little less preposterous.

"He's never seen a field goal that he didn't like," said Beamer. "I always turn to him before we're going out there and about the last three games we've had a couple long ones, I said, 'What do you think, Joey?' He said, 'I got it.' And we even tried a record...how long was that one?"

"Too far?" Beamer laughed. "He told me he could kick that one. I believed him. I thought maybe he might have a shot."

For his part, Slye simply thought he had a much better chance at converting from 67 than the Hokies did at hauling in a Hail Mary. Although admittedly, a 67-yard field goal would have been a top line item for the sophomore's resume.

"That was kinda my decision. My mindset was, 'That's a record. That was gonna be a huge kick. That's a defining moment for me,'" said Slye. "I'm the one who went out and kinda was like 'Beamer, let me take this kick.' They were looking at really throwing a Hail Mary...But I went up to Beamer and was like 'I feel like I have a better chance at making it than you guys have of maybe scoring.'"

Just before the kick, defensive line coach Charley Wiles rushed to Beamer's side, reminding the longtime coach of the "Kick Six" that shocked Alabama in the 2013 Iron Bowl.

"He reminded me of that deal down at Alabama and Auburn...Now I'm trying to call it off," joked Beamer.

But Slye could not be denied his chance at history. The sophomore gave it his best shot, but the ball fluttered to a halt several yards short of the goalpost and overtime began minutes later.

While Hokie Nation may have learned Slye isn't automatic from 67, the sophomore maintains that his consistent range isn't too far south of that lofty number.

"I can probably make from about 55-60, my consistent, good-ball range," said Slye.

Despite the confidence from the Hokies' kicker, Slye has gone 0 for 7 on kicks north of 50 yards while donning maroon and orange. And even though he's converted 35 of 41 career attempts inside of 50 yards and 60 of 61 extra point tries, his lack of long-distance success still eats at him.

"It gets to me a lot," said Slye. "Especially when I know I can make it, when it's not just a hope and a prayer, when I know I can make these things on a regular basis."

But to Beamer, his prized kicker remains flawless.

"He's perfect, as far as I'm concerned," said Beamer. "He likes the middle of the goalpost and I do too. He's not over on the edges very much. I always say, 'Good kickers, they never miss bad. You never see a hoodwink over there.' If he misses, it's barely. Just dependable. Good personality for a kicker."

The nation is beginning to take notice. Last week Slye was one of 20 kickers recognized as a semi-finalist for the 2015 Lou Groza Award, given annually to the nation's best kicker. While Slye appreciates the acknowledgement, he realizes that the award often has little correlation to his ultimate goal of playing in the NFL.

"It's just an accolade," said Slye. "Kids win it, they don't go to the NFL. Kids don't win it, they go to the NFL. If you look at Hall of Famers, they may or may not have it on their resume and stuff like that. There's kids that have it on their resume that didn't even make it. It's just an accolade. But I'm very thankful."

But if the Groza Award voters decide to take tackling abilities into account, Slye would win in a landslide.

"He's my linebacker-kicker," laughed Beamer. "He made two tackles in the last game on kickoffs. That's really a tremendous advantage...Joey's kind of leading the charge. I think he likes tackling better than he does kicking."

Slye, who at 6'1" and 214 pounds is an impressive physical specimen for a kicker, also starred at linebacker throughout his career at North Stafford High School. But as Slye moved up a level and became accustomed to the athleticism of a Division 1 middle linebacker, his focus understandably shifted to kicking.

"I know my limit and stuff like that," said Slye. "I played all throughout high school playing linebacker, so I know I could take some hits and still kick. But I haven't really bugged coaches and stuff like that, just because I can see Andrew Motuapuaka over there. They're getting into it. I can see where I am caliber-wise compared to the Division 1 athletes."

That's not to say Slye is afraid to throw his weight around on kickoff coverage.

"When I'm on kickoff and stuff like that, I'm the safety, but at the same time, if I find a window or something like that, I'm taking it," said Slye.

"I'm not afraid to hit someone," he added.