AUBURN, Ala. – When Arryn Siposs trotted on to the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time wearing an Auburn uniform, there were obvious nerves.
"To say I was nervous would be an understatement," he said.
It was midway through the third quarter of the season opener. Auburn held a slight 15-13 edge over Washington in a matchup of top-10 teams. The Tigers were at their own 25-yard line and needed to flip the field. So they called on Siposs, the first-year punter from Australia, to use that big leg of his and boom one in the other direction.
There's nothing like starting your college career at an NFL stadium in front of 70,000 fans in one of the more critical points in the game. No pressure, right?
But Siposs wasn't fazed. He zoned out the crowd and focused on the task at hand.
"It sounds really silly, but all I have to do is go out there, catch it and kick it," he said. "I just had to keep saying that to myself the whole time when I ran out there and just go, 'You've done it a million times before. Just go out and do it like you've done at training.' I guess that's kind of what was going through my mind. That certainly calmed the nerves a little bit."
Siposs caught the snap without issue and launched his first punt 47 yards with enough hang time that the Washington returner had to call for a fair catch. It was about as good he or the coaching staff could have asked for in that situation.
It's a moment Siposs, now the Auburn starting punter, won't soon forget.
At this time two years ago, Siposs had never kicked an "American football." Instead, he played Aussie rules football professionally for St. Kilda in the Australian Football League where they play on an oval-shaped field with a lot more running than what's required of college and NFL punters.
But as different as the two sports are, the kicking side of it was similar.
"You focus on your skill, which is kicking, so that makes it a lot easier to transition over," Siposs said.
The Melbourne native began focusing his efforts solely on playing college football and becoming a punter. He worked on accuracy, hang time and everything that goes into that. Eventually, he earned a scholarship from Auburn, and in late July, he arrived on campus with just over a month to win over his teammates, the coaches and try to earn the starting job.
"At the start, you obviously come in and you have this expectation on you," Siposs said. "So you have to go out there and deliver straight away. You need to earn that respect. So that took a little bit of a time, especially during fall camp when the pressure is on. You have moments where you're not going so well, and then you have times where you do kick the ball really well.
"So that took a little bit of a time, but then once I came into games and I showed I was capable of doing it and producing some good numbers, they really start to embrace you a little bit more."
Through the first four games, Auburn currently ranks eighth nationally in net punting (43.13 yards) in large part due to Siposs, who is averaging 45.3 yards per kick with four punts of 50 or more yards. He kicked a 60-yarder last week against Arkansas.
Even four games in, Siposs is still amazed at the crowds. The LSU game, in particular, was the best atmosphere he's ever seen at a football game of any kind.
"SEC football is something that you're not going to know and get until you actually witness it and play in it," Siposs said. "That was crazy. Obviously, the result didn't go our way. But the whole game is going to be one for the ages. That's for sure. That was amazing."
Siposs can't tell you how many times he's heard the phrase "shrimp on the barbie." The catchphrase made famous by Outback Steakhouse is commonly used when people try to impersonate the Australian accent, and the funny thing is people in Australia don't even say that. According to Siposs, they don't even really put shrimp on the barbie.
Still, that hasn't stopped his teammates from saying it and trying to emulate his accent.
"The boys try to impersonate it, and they're not good at it at all," Siposs said. "They're terrible. They've got this real English accent. I'm like 'Just give up guys.'"
However, despite some of the funny looks he gets when he talks, Siposs and his fiancée have enjoyed their move to Auburn. It's different than what they're used to – living in a big city like Melbourne – but the adjustment is going well so far.
"There has been no problem with it at all," Siposs said. "I've thoroughly enjoyed a different kind of scenery. It's such a beautiful place. Not many people realize that until you actually get here and you see how beautiful it is. And there are still plenty of things to do here. There's good food. There's beautiful parks that you can walk around. I look forward to the next few years here, to be honest."
Admittedly, Siposs is still getting used to the southern-style food in Auburn. Catfish is one menu item that he's not quite ready to try just yet. But he and his fiancée both like Mexican food, so places like Taco Mama have already become a favorite of the two.
With three years of eligibility remaining, the plan is for Siposs – who studied two years in Australia – to finish his undergraduate degree in two years and then do a year in the masters program as well. Then if this dream continues, it's off to the NFL where there's already a number of former Aussie rules football players currently punting for various teams.
"Coming here with the goal to hopefully extend my career afterwards is certainly something that I'm aiming towards," Siposs said. "Again, I have to take it one step at a time and perform well here first and see what happens. But definitely that's a goal."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greg_ostendorf
