Devin Barclay nervously chewed on a fingernail while he watched the heroics of Ohio State’s defenders.

Shutdown coverage by the secondary forced an incomplete pass. Linebacker Austin Spitler met Iowa’s running back in the backfield for a 6-yard loss. Defensive tackle Doug Worthington followed with a sack for a 10-yard loss and free safety Anderson Russell capped things with an interception in the end zone.

Then the Buckeyes’ offense ran out onto the field, and Barclay pulled his helmet on and turned toward his practice net.

“I was absolutely nervous,” the junior kicker said. “I was just trying to remain focused and stick to the fundamentals we talk about all week in practice.”

Holder Jon Thoma patted him on the side of the helmet and long snapper Jake McQuaide flashed Barclay a smile and offered a high five.

Backup cornerback Andre Amos ran over and grabbed Barclay by the shoulder pad and yelled, “This one’s for the roses right here,” before running back to the sideline to get the perfect view.

The offense managed to gain 2 yards on three downs, and Barclay ran out to attempt a 39-yard game-winning field goal on Ohio State’s first overtime series.

The snap was solid, the hold was flawless and Barclay never saw the ball go through the uprights.

“I knew it was good immediately,” he said. “I saw the ball was going straight, so I just turned and took off running. I apparently took my helmet off, too.”

The Ohio State players chased him down, then thousands of Buckeyes fans did the same. The mob scene at midfield was similar to many that had taken place after some of the biggest victories during the 87-year history of Ohio Stadium.

Except this one was sparked by a 26-year-old former professional soccer player who isn’t even on scholarship at Ohio State.

Barclay graduated from high school in Annapolis, Md., and immediately began playing for Major League Soccer.

He tried to catch on with four different teams, but injuries finally forced him to retire after a final run with the Columbus Crew.

Barclay decided to learn how to kick field goals, then walked on to the nearby Ohio State football team. He’s spent the last three years perfecting his craft, and entered the season as Aaron Pettrey’s backup.

When Pettrey went down with an injury during Ohio State’s game against New Mexico State two weeks ago, Barclay was finally pushed into the spotlight.

“I thought I might get a chance during my senior year, but I knew that with injuries and things, there was always a possibility I might get in there,” Barclay said. “I hated to see Aaron go down, he’s one of my best friends. But he’s stayed right there in my ear and helped me fill in for him. He was right by my side during today’s game.”

Barclay missed from 47 and 36 yards and made a 29-yarder against the Aggies, and made his only attempt - a 37-yarder - against Penn State last week.

He was able to joke about missing a 47-yarder midway through the fourth quarter Saturday against the Hawkeyes.

“I wanted to send the seniors out in style … I just made it a little more interesting for them,” he said. “That miss also helped on the overtime attempt. I realized I needed to calm down, focus and do the exact opposite of what I did on the 47-yard attempt.”

Barclay spent 10 minutes of his postgame interview talking about how the kick was the greatest moment of his life, using words like “unbelievable,” “awesome” and “incredible” to describe the feeling.

Barclay has always been the kind of college athlete that kids should be lining up to get autographs from, and now he may have earned the star power to make it happen.

He doesn’t get the reward of free tuition for his play, yet spends the same countless hours in the weight room, is at the practice fields at 6 a.m. and works tirelessly to be the best player he can for the Buckeyes.

“Now, it’s absolutely worth it,” he said.

Until two weeks ago, Barclay was doing it all just to maintain his backup role. Last week, he contributed to a long-awaited victory over a top-notch opponent.

On Saturday, the unknown special-teamer allowed Buckeye Nation to finally get its kicks.

Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com.

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