Everyone in the stadium hears the thump.
Following its usual rainbow trajectory, the ball twists, turns and spins until it finally meets the ground, hopping an extra 12 yards before being surrounded by orange helmets.
Fifty-seven yards from the original line of scrimmage, Johnny Townsend’s punt has come to rest.
But those orange helmets aren’t Gators.
They’re players from Orlando’s Boone High School, where Townsend starred as a punter and free safety before arriving in Gainesville in 2013.
Now a redshirt junior, he took over Florida’s punting duties late in his freshman year and earned All-SEC freshman honors. Since then he’s progressed further, leading the SEC and standing second nationally with a 50.21 yards-per-punt average so far this season.
But he said his success isn’t just thanks to punting practice or the natural kicking ability that was evident in high school. He also credits his competitive drive — a drive that started when he was a junior varsity quarterback or earlier, long before he was thumping footballs at national kicking camps.
However, Florida fans have become more enchanted by a different thump.
That’s thanks to kicker Eddy Pineiro, who’s elevated Florida from a team that ranked second-to-last in the NCAA in field-goal percentage a year ago to one that can realistically kick field goals from 50 yards out.
Pineiro’s booming right leg has even led Gators fans to chant his name when he jogs onto the field.
Nobody chants “Johnny” when Townsend comes out to punt.
But that’s fine with him.
“I think it’s awesome,” he said of the “Eddy” chants. “I love it … Keep it coming.”
He added that he isn’t concerned with vanity and stardom as much as he is with helping the team. So when he runs out to punt, he focuses exclusively on his goal of pinning his opponent to either set up a safety or force it to drive the ball 95 yards or more.
“That’s where I get my gratification from,” he said.
He also gets it from the competitive thrill. That much was evident during his free safety days at Boone.
During a game against Orlando’s Timber Creek in 2010, for example, Townsend stared down a floater from the opposing quarterback. When the receiver went up for the ball, Townsend hit him from underneath and flipped him over before high-fiving his teammate and leaving his opponent lying on the ground.
“I actually love to hit people,” he said. “And every time after I punt the ball, I sprint down as fast as I can to try to make some contact.”
Townsend said he’s recorded some tackles for the Gators, though the statistics don’t support his claim.
However, his desire to knock pads with opponents while simultaneously perfecting his punting were evident on one play more than any other during his college career. It came against Georgia in 2015, and he said it was his most memorable football moment.
With the score tied at zero and the first quarter about to end, Townsend was charged with, as he often is, pinning Georgia as deep as possible.
He took the snap — thump — and booted the ball to UGA’s Isaiah McKenzie, who ran under it at his own 5-yard line. The ball hit the Georgia return man in the chest before falling to the grass and being swarmed by five orange helmets.
It was kicked and hit and eventually rolled into Georgia’s end zone, where safety Nick Washington picked it up.
Townsend, who was already sprinting down the field, met him there seconds later, jumping on his back and yelling between their intertwined facemasks.
“Keep doing what you’re doing,” Townsend remembers Washington telling him.
Contact Ethan Bauer at ebauer@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ebaueri.
From left: Jonathan Haney, Eddy Pineiro, Johnny Townsend and Ryan Farr celebrate on the sidelines during Florida's 13-6 win over Vanderbilt on Sept. 24, 2016, in Knoxville.
