The man behind one of the most famous kicks in Iowa football history has one simple philosophy this season: produce under pressure.

Junior place-kicker Daniel Murray, now a name etched in the massive granite pages of unforgettable Hawkeye lore, did it last November against then-No. 3 Penn State. And every time he lined up for a field goal this off-season, the former Regina standout revisited his career-defining moment.

“I think the thing with that is trying to reproduce the focus and everything that I had during that kick because it was a big pressure moment,” he said. “Even if it’s a PAT, you can’t slack off a little bit. You have to be able to treat every kick with the same focus.”

Focus, in addition to a nationally televised game-winning boot, has certainly helped him land in his coaches’ good graces during the off-season.

Following the conclusion of spring practice, Murray had secured his spot as the first-team place kicker, with sophomore Trent Mossbrucker assuming the back-up role.

But the Iowa kicking competition has become significantly more opaque over the last four months, according to the recent two-deep released on Aug. 28.

With four days left until the Hawkeyes’ season opener against Northern Iowa, Murray and Mossbrucker now stand even with only a backslash dividing the two.

“It’s going to be a competition between those guys to see who wins it here in the fall,” Iowa special-teams coach Lester Erb said during the team’s media day in early August. “Those guys know that every day they go out, it’s going to be important because both those guys are pretty good and pretty competitive.”

This year, however, Erb and the rest of the Hawkeye coaching staff hope the starting kicker is determined early in practice rather than late in the season on the game-day gridiron.

But if Murray clearly stands out before Sept. 5, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said he is open to the idea of giving Mossbrucker a redshirt option this season.

“I think it’s possible,” Ferentz said following the Hawkeyes’ open scrimmage on Aug. 15. “If [Murray] clearly wins it, that would be something we would discuss for sure.”

As a true freshman, Mossbrucker held on to the starting reins for much of the 2008 season. He led the conference in field goal percentage (86.7), making 13 of 15 attempts.

However, his 70 total points in 2008 were mediocre at best in relation to the rest of the Big Ten.

Ranked seventh among conference kickers by season’s end, Mossbrucker’s 93.9 PAT kicking percentage (31-for-33) kept Murray in contention.

Murray also displayed the strongest leg last season, splitting the uprights twice from between 40 and 49 yards — his longest being a 45-yarder — in addition to one failed attempt beyond the 50.

Mossbrucker on the other hand, safely stayed between 30 and 39 yards, going 6-for-8 from that distance.

But the battle between Murray and Mossbrucker goes beyond last season’s numbers.

“The ability to put pressure on yourself is what sets most kickers apart,” Murray said. “Probably the biggest part of our game is being able to get through the ups and downs. … If you’re struggling, can you put it past you and be mentally strong enough to go and make your next one?”