When the ball left Cory Munson’s foot on an untimed down at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in what ended up being Western Kentucky’s final play of the 2019 season, he knew it was going through the upright.

From there, he said after the 52-yard game-winning kick in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, it was a blur.

The kick was the last in Munson’s freshman season, capping off a turnaround 9-4 campaign after the Hilltoppers won just three games the year prior, and gave the program its fourth bowl victory since 2014.

Munson’s make, which allowed him to reach his goal of connecting on a game-winning kick he said he had set the day before in a question-and-answer session on his Instagram story, is something he says he can look at with fond memories, but it hasn’t changed his approach as he shifts his focus to the future.

“I go into the same kick with the same mindset every time whether I make it or miss it,” Munson said. “It was definitely something to look back on and smile about, but going forward, I’m focused on what’s ahead.”

So what’s next after making a game-winning kick in the biggest moment of the season? It’s an easy answer for the 6-foot-3, 185-pound sophomore from Warner Robins, Ga.

Consistency.

It’s something he’s been working on with holder John Haggerty, WKU’s punter who was named the Conference USA Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year, and new long snapper Matt Baldeck, who transferred in from Michigan and is expected to replace Jared Nash.

“Me and John have been working at getting more consistent. That was a big part of what we needed to work on from last season,” Munson said. “We’ve got a new long snapper, so we’re working with him and just getting our chemistry down and getting ready to go.”

Munson struggled with consistency throughout the 2019 season, but then-first-year head coach Tyson Helton stuck with his freshman kicker. He took over the starting job when senior Alex Rinella was ruled academically ineligible for the first two games, and Munson kept the job when he went 4-for-5 during the first four games.

He entered the bowl game 14-for-24 (58.3%), and had missed an attempt from 29 yards as time expired in the first half against Western Michigan at Southern Methodist University. He was 2-for-3 on the day before the career-long make to win it – he connected on a 26-yard attempt in the first half and a 31-yarder to tie the game 20-all with 1:36 remaining.

Munson had a previous career-long make of 48 yards that came in a 30-14 win over Charlotte on Oct. 19, but was just 1-for-4 in the final two games of the regular season. Each of those three misses was within 33 yards. He finished the year perfect inside 20 yards, 7-for-9 between 20-29 yards, 4-for-9 between 30-39 yards, 3-for-6 between 40-49 yards and 1-for-2 from 50-plus yards.

Haggerty, who is front and center for each kick, believes the make in the First Responder Bowl was important for Munson heading into his sophomore year.

“I think that was huge for him. He really needed that,” Haggerty said. “He struggled throughout the year. It wasn’t even like his distance – it was mainly when it was up close. I think he backs himself more when it’s further away and he can let his leg swing a lot, because he’s got a lot of power. He feels really good back there, so I knew he was going to smack that.

“Since then, he’s really been getting his mechanics down pat in the close range – 30 yards, 20 yards – and he’s been super consistent so far.”

Power was never in doubt. Helton had nicknamed Munson “Wild Thing” – coming from the fictional pitcher Rick Vaughn played by Charlie Sheen in “Major League,” a character who had trouble controlling his lethal fastball – when he signed as the fifth-best high school kicker in the nation, according to 247Sports. Munson had made a 59-yard field goal in high school.

Munson was also the one kicking off for the Hilltoppers, sending it an average of 61.6 yards on 66 attempts, with touchbacks coming on exactly half of those.

Now, he’s working on getting it through the uprights more often.

“Kicking is all about your plant foot,” Munson said. “It’s all muscle memory, so you’ve got to figure out what works best for you and what gets you consistent, and just keep on getting reps at that so your muscles are remembering what to do at certain times and just making the same kick every time.”

In addition to the confidence coming from the game-winning kick, just getting a year under his belt after making the transition from Northside High School has been big for Munson.

“I think last season was really important for me, getting me adjusted from high school into college because in college they play a lot faster and more aggressive,” Munson said. “I think last year was a big step for me, and it’s going to help me improve and do a lot better things this season.”

Munson has competition on his own team this fall, which Helton believes will only help him get better. WKU has freshmen Chase Tidmore, Zach Langford and Wes Pahl on the roster, as well as redshirt sophomore Brayden Narveson, who transferred from Iowa State, where he spent two seasons and went 2-for-4 with a long make of 48 yards last fall.

“Cory’s come a long way, getting a lot more consistent. You never know, though, until they have to run out there and kick one in a game, but he’s seemed to have made a lot of progress and is feeling pretty comfortable out there,” Helton said. “I thought coach (Andy) LaRussa has done a nice job of bringing in some other kicking specialists and those kind of things, so there’s some competition there for Cory. Competition brings out the best in everybody, and he seems to be handling it pretty good right now.”