Being a kicker can be the loneliest job on the football field, even at a position that is sometimes overlooked. You can be a bystander all game long, and all of a sudden, the outcome rests on your shoulders.

“I know our job isn’t as physically demanding as the other positions, but mentally I know it has to be one of the most difficult positions to ever play,” said Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata. “The amount of pressure you deal with, if you miss one kick everyone’s on you, but if you make one kick you’re the hero of the town. So it’s definitely a lot of pressure, but the mental aspect of it is cool.”

Mata embraces the unique mental challenge of kicking. Coming to Colorado, Mata wasn’t handed the job. Over the course of the season, he has been competing with Arizona State transfer Jace Feely, son of former NFL kicker Jay Feely, for reps, with the two splitting them fairly evenly through the first five weeks.

But Mata has a history with head coach Deion Sanders, after playing his freshman year under the new Buffs’ coach at Jackson State. There, he was nearly automatic (or “Auto-Mata” as he says he’s sometimes called), drilling 12 of his 13 field goal attempts and 50 of his 51 PATs. Both of his misses were blocked. His stellar performance led Sanders to bring him along to CU for his sophomore season.

“I believed in Mata from day one, that’s why he’s here,” said Sanders.

At Colorado, where the spotlight is about the size of the sun in 2023, Mata has remained unfazed, through wins and losses and position battles and everything else. Through five games, the Buford, Georgia native has nailed all four of his field goal attempts while missing just one PAT. You guessed it, it was blocked.