In the first quarter of the Ducks’ matchup with Cal, Camden Lewis went out onto the field to try and put the Ducks ahead 3-0. In order to give Oregon the lead, he had to make a 49-yard field goal, the longest of his career.
After an excellent hold and blocking, Lewis kicked the ball and watched as it hooked right through the uprights.
A perfect kick.
The sophomore kicker has quickly become one of the strongest in the conference. After years of criticism, he’s silenced doubters this season and became one of the most reliable Oregon kickers since Aidan Schneider in 2014.
The first two seasons for Lewis featured immense highs and crushing lows. Despite struggling with consistency his freshman and sophomore year, to the point where he lost the kicking job to Henry Kattleman, he made a game-winning field goal against Washington State, becoming the first kicker to win a game for Oregon since Paul Martinez also did so against the Cougars in 2005.
While the game-winner was an exciting moment for Lewis and the team, the following season was fraught with hardships. Lewis was relieved of field goal kicking duties at the end of the 2020 season before the Oregon State game. He had to watch as the Ducks lost three of the last four games of the 2020 season. While he could have given up or transferred, Lewis was motivated by the end of 2020 to work harder –– and to be more prepared to work harder than ever in 2021.
Lewis is a perfect 7-7 on field goals this season, making him the most accurate field goal kicker in the Pac-12. He has made three kicks over 40 yards, while in the three previous seasons combined he only made one. His ability to tune out the doubt and improve exponentially is inspiring.
“You just can’t give up,” Lewis said in September. “You can’t ever just give in. I knew what I was capable of. I knew what I could do, and it really just came down to believing in myself.”
While it seemed many had turned away from him, there were people that didn’t. Two of those people were his parents.
“They’re always the ones who are there for me,” Lewis said. “They’ve been through a lot of stuff. They’ve faced criticism; they’ve accepted it; they know how to deal with it. They’ve taught me a lot.”
After losing field goal kicking duties in 2020, he fought back and managed to earn the starting position for the 2021 season. This is a decision that head coach Mario Cristobal would not regret.
“It’s because he endured, he weathered the storm, and all he did was he poured into his craft,” Cristobal said after Lewis’ career long mark against Cal. “All the noise was continuing to grow around him. He got lost in it, and he came out on the other side kicking butt.”
