Healthier Wilhoit alive, kicking

As a sophomore, he made one of the biggest kicks in school history when he beat Florida with a 51-yard field goal in the final seconds. As a junior, he made his last eight field goals and 11 of his last 12.

He's primed for a great senior season.

"The first thing, I'm healthy," Wilhoit said. "Last year, I was coming into the season just trying to survive two-a-days after coming off surgery."

Wilhoit underwent surgery to remove an extra bone in his kicking foot after the 2004 season. He didn't start kicking again until June of 2005.

"This year, I'm a lot healthier," he said. "I've worked out really hard this summer. We ran hills, pushed 100-pound shopping carts, did all kinds of different things to increase my leg strength and conditioning."

By July, he was kicking three times a week and working out twice a week. But even with a healthy leg, he made a point not to overdo it.

"I didn't kick more than 25 balls (in a workout)," he said. "Casey Woods is our holder, and he tries to keep the reins on me. After we kick about 25 balls, he tells me to kick my shoe off."

Wilhoit hasn't tinkered with his mechanics after such an accurate finish last season.

"Film can be a help and a hindrance," he said. "Sometimes you can almost overanalyze what you're doing. If you're kicking well, stay in that moment and try not to get out of that."

Wilhoit showed that he could do more than kick during the preseason. In UT's first open scrimmage, he scored a touchdown on a pass from Woods, following a fake field-goal attempt.