Senior kicker Jake Moody has been a stabilizing presence for Michigan football's kicking game during his time in Ann Arbor. That was never more apparent than in Saturday's 38-17 win over Wisconsin where he hit three field goals and three extra points.

He saved his best field goal attempt of the game for last at Camp Randall Stadium, booting a 48-yarder early in the fourth quarter to extend Michigan's lead to 23-10.

“That game is about as good as it gets for being a specialist," Moody told the media on Tuesday night. "It was pretty calm winds. I had a slight wind at my back. Those were ideal conditions to hit a field goal in.”

Moody had to split time with Quinn Nordin the last few seasons but is now the undisputed starter, kicking both field goals and extra points. It's an opportunity that he is relieved to have.

“It feels good just going into the games knowing that it’s going to be you no matter what. I enjoyed having Quinn around. It made both of us better. Knowing that it’s going to be you and you’re the guy for every kick, it’s a pretty good feeling.”

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Aside from a kick that went awry in the Rutgers game, Moody has been nearly perfect this season (8-for-9). The two longest kicks of his career have come during the 2021 campaign, headlined by a 52-yard strike in Week 2's 31-10 win over Washington.

“Kicking in practice and kicking in a game are two completely different things," Moody said. "You’ve got a live rush coming at you. You need the perfect snap and perfect hold. Kicking in a game is a lot more difficult once you get into the 50-plus range. I feel comfortable hitting anything inside of 60 in good conditions.”

Moody has the friendly confines of Michigan Stadium mapped out when it comes to how the environment will affect his kicks. There is a bit more of an adjustment period when traveling away from Ann Arbor.

“Wind can get kind of tricky in the Big Ten, especially in the fall weather," he said. "You’ve got to look for gaps in the top of the stadium. The wind will sometimes come in through a gap, bounce off the press box and go the other direction. You may think it’s blowing south, southwest, but on the other end of the field, it’s blowing the complete opposite way. We like to get to the field early and test out the wind in different spots. And then kick in pregame and see where the ball is flying.”

A successful kick involves much more than the leg of the person attempting it. There is a symbiotic process between the long snapper William Wagner, holder/punter Brad Robbins and Moody.

He says the Wolverines have it locked down.

“It definitely takes time," Moody said. "It’s not going to happen just like that. Brad did a great job of stepping in pretty late considering he started holding for me right at the beginning of fall camp. So that was an adjustment for all three of us.

"William Wagner, I’d say he’s the best snapper in the country. He makes my life really easy. He makes Brad’s life really easy. Brad doesn’t have to worry about the laces too often. He just has to put it down. So it was a pretty easy adjustment and I’d like to credit Wagner for that.”

One of the driving forces behind Moody's success is the pre-visualization of the moments he will find himself in. He says he maps out all the potential scenarios in his head, including the upcoming rivalry games.

“That’s kind of why (kickers) do this," Moody said. "I’ll just be sitting up in bed, can’t fall asleep, and thinking of those different scenarios like kicking a game-winner in the Big House against Ohio State. Going into every game, I like to think of different kicks. It could be a game-winner. It could just be an extra point.

"Once you visualize that kick in your head and are out there on the field, you feel a lot more comfortable since you’ve already kind of seen it through your head.”

Not much affects Moody's psyche on the field, especially if a timeout is called to ice the kicker. He starts his routine over and prepares to make a kick.

“I’m a calm guy. I don’t have any tricks," he said. "I do some breathing exercises just to slow my heartbeat, but overall I’d say I’m a pretty even-keel guy. I don’t struggle with that too much.”

Moody and the Michigan specialists do not kick every day in practice. He revealed that he will usually do about five full kickoffs and 30 field goal attempts twice a week, but that they are on "kick counts' to promote longevity and not overdo it.

Moody, who is a former baseball player and says he can throw the ball 55-yards, jokingly said he hopes to get a fake field goal thrown into the playbook at some point.

“When I don’t kick, I just try and help out the other guys that are kicking," Moody said. "A lot of the younger guys, I’ll either shag for them or help them out with form and technique stuff. I think I have a pretty good arm, so we’ll run some fake field goals. Trying to get coach to put one in there but it’s not working.”

The Michigan specialists are not just in their own little world. Moody said they do the same workouts and weight routine that the rest of their peers do. That is a point of pride for that room.

"Most people would think that specialists are the weaker guys on the team," he said. "We take a lot of pride in working out and be the strongest specialist group in the country. We do that and our own flexibility work. Flexibility is more important than strength when it comes to being a specialist. We take a lot of pride in both of those.”

Moody and the Wolverines have another road test on Saturday night against a scrappy Nebraska Cornhuskers squad. He said the preparation for a night game is not all that different for a kicker and he is ready for the challenge.

“It’s not too much different. It stinks having to wait around all day for the game. We try and prepare later so it’s pretty much the same preparation for every game. You get locked in later and aren’t mentally exhausted. It feels like high school again playing under the lights, which is pretty cool. It’s not a huge difference playing a night game or noon game.”

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