Sauls makes NFL debut with solid day

History was made Sunday afternoon in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

For the first time in Tippecanoe High School's history, an alum has played in the National Football League.

Ben Sauls, a 2020 Tipp grad, was elevated from the practice squad of the New York Giants and made his NFL debut Sunday as they hosted the Minnesota Vikings. And after a shaky start, likely due to the windy conditions, Sauls delivered the rest of the day.

The former soccer/football standout with the Red Devils was perfect on both of his field goal attempts, knocking one in from 27 yards in the first half. He later boomed one from 39 yards out, despite the windy conditions.

But most importantly for Sauls, he got the chance that he deserved. 

After a stellar college career at Pitt, which included a bowl game-winning field goal against UCLA, he went undrafted before signing as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After being released from the Steelers, he latched onto the Atlanta Falcons practice squad but never got an opportunity to kick for the Falcons. A little over a month ago, Sauls got the call that he was heading to the Big Apple.

The Giants have had kicking issues all season long. Nobody was able to hold the job down, yet he still waited patiently for his time to arrive. When they released another kicker last week, it was known by Wednesday that Sauls was going to get an opportunity to make the dream come true for the small-town kicker.

It was a windy and chilly day on Sunday. His opening kickoff, the first time he ever stepped onto the field, went out of bounds, which gave Minnesota the ball at the 40.

Chalk it up to a little bit of nerves, but also the wind. But he jumped right back into things with his two field goals and his extra point. He did exactly what he was supposed to do.

Sauls would have had his first kick early in the first quarter with the ball at the 10-yard line and a chance to, at the time, tie the game 3–3. However, the Giants went for it on a fourth down conversion. It failed, and the Vikings got the ball at that point.

But for the hometown kid, all he wanted was a shot. He proved himself along the way, and now on the biggest stage, he proved it again.

But for now, Sauls needs to keep the foot on the gas and finish the season strong. By the time you read this, who knows what decisions they’re going to make. But no matter what, he more than proved he can kick in that league. There are no 30 better kickers and professional football players better than Sauls.