HOUSTON – Dare Ogunbowale raised his hand a year ago when Texans special teams coordinator Frank Ross was looking for volunteers to be an emergency kicker.
Growing up in Milwaukee, the reserve running back and former Wisconsin walk-on had an extensive soccer background and didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. He frequently kicks a soccer ball before practice with his teammates, but rarely gets to kick a football.
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On Sunday, the Texans called upon Ogunbowale’s experience in a crucial situation. When regular kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn left the game with a quadriceps injury that’s serious enough he couldn’t continue and will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday, per a league source, Ogunbowale was forced into action.
And Ogunbowale came through in the clutch, routinely booting a 29-yard field goal to give the Texans a 33-30 lead during an eventual 39-37 comeback victory Sunday at NRG Stadium over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ogunbowale became the first non-kicker to make a field goal in an NFL regular-season game since wide receiver Wes Welker back in 2004.
“That’s pretty cool,” Ogunbowale said. “I might have to give these shoes to Canton.”
#Texans running back Dare Ogunbowale on his successful field goal as emergency kicker. He hadn't kicked in a game since high school growing up in Milwaukee @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/7szLJnVYzY
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 5, 2023
Ogunbowale had several kickoffs in the second half, too. None of the Buccaneer’ kickoff returns that counted went past their own 27-yard line.
His teammates had no doubts in his capabilities even though he was untested in game action as a kicker. A former walk-on defensive back who moved to running back at Wisconsin and earned a scholarship, Ogunbowale had two runs for four yards this season.
“Man, realistically knowing Dare I know he’s really cut out for that,” Texans safety Jalen Pitre said. “They be playing around with soccer balls. There’s a lot of people that are built for that. He’s a hooper, too. When I seen them put him out there for the field goal .. three points. I knew it was going in.”
“I didn’t know Dare could kick the ball,” Texans wide receiver Tank Dell said. “Dare did an awesome job on kickoffs and the field goal.”
When Ogunbowale approached his locker and saw a crowd of reporters, he smiled at the unusual amount of activity in his dressing area.
“This is the kind of love kickers get,” Ogunbowale said.
Ogunbowale had two touchbacks out of his six kickoffs after halftime.
A former soccer, basketball, football and track athlete at Marquette High School, Ogunbowale once made a 45-yard field goal in a college practice with the Badgers.
“I’ve got some power in my leg if I need it,” Ogunbowale said.
Ogunbowale said he was much more comfortable kicking the field goal than the kickoffs. Although he wasn’t counted on to kick extra points after three of the Texans’ second half touchdowns as they tried to go for two points, coach DeMeco Ryans called Ogunbowale’s number at fourth-and-goal at the Buccaneers’ 11-yard line with 8:48 remaining in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 30.
“When you lose your kicker, that’s tough,” Ryans said. “What are you going to do? Your whole game plan changes, but, Dare, he stepped up big time for us. We were confident he could make it from there, and he proved us right. Credit to Dare. He’s truly the player of the game. For him stepping up the way he did for us, it was outstanding by him.”
Frank Ross was fired up about the field goal. The Texans special teams coordinator ran onto the field and pumped his fist in celebration.
“I don’t think he was more excited than me, but he was pretty excited,” Ogunbowale said. “That was dope to see.”
In a game where the Texans needed every point they could earn, Ognbowale got the job done.
“I was always kind of the unwritten emergency kicker, but nothing ever came up,” Ogunbowale said. “Obviously, they needed me and I got out there. To win games in this league, you never know what’s going to happen. That game came down to the wire and I’m just glad I could step up and help us win the game.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
