Jack Willoughby had a degree from Duke University and a job awaiting him at a New York City consulting company.
He also had an itch that he decided needed to be scratched. A kickoff specialist for the Blue Devils, Willoughby had never attempted a field goal at any level and wanted to see whether he could get that opportunity.
So he deferred the job for a year, sent out feelers to big-time football programs, landed at Ohio State and won a long-shot bid to unseat an incumbent kicker. The culmination — for now — of Willoughby’s unlikely journey came Saturday when he kicked a 20-yard field goal against Hawaii.