Ball State's Miller wanted to be Illini

Illinois fans tempted to cover their eyes when the punting unit hits the field probably won't want to see this either.

The nation's No. 1 punter -- and Playboy's preseason All-America -- wanted to be an Illini.

Ball State junior Chris Miller, a Libertyville resident, tried his best to catch Ron Turner's eye coming out of Carmel High School in 2004.

"My first love was to go to Illinois or Wisconsin," Miller said. "Someplace that was close to home and had a great tradition."

But even though he thought he impressed at multiple one-day kicking camps in Champaign, Miller only received walk-on vibes from the Illini as their punting scholarship was tied up in four-year starter Steve Weatherford.

Can't argue with that decision, particularly since Weatherford is in his second year with the New Orleans Saints, but that doesn't help Illinois these days.

And it will only be a bigger issue for the Illini on Saturday.

That's when Miller, who's averaging a Football Bowl Subdivision-best 47.2 yards per punt, comes to Memorial Stadium with his Ball State teammates (11 a.m., Big Ten Network).

He hits Champaign as the Mid-American Conference's West Division special-teams player of the week after a stellar 10-punt performance in last week's win at Western Michigan.

"I think Chris did an absolute great job punting on Saturday," said Ball State coach Brady Hoke. "Field position became a big part of the game. As a coach, it makes it a little more comfortable for the defense when you have good field position."

Miller might not have found a Big Ten-style tradition in Muncie, Ind., but he's the latest and potentially greatest in a line of punters to use Ball State as a jumping-off point to the NFL.

Miller's predecessor and mentor, Champaign native Reggie Hodges, has a spot on the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad.

And, of course, the Bears' Brad Maynard was an Associated Press first-team All-American in 1995 as part of his three great years at Ball State.

Maynard set the school's single-season record with a 46.5-yard average, which is one of the many marks Miller finds himself chasing.

"I don't mind if he breaks my records," said Maynard, who called Miller once for a brief chat. "I'll check (his stats) once in awhile. When we talked, it wasn't that much about football or punting. I don't think, as well as he's kicking, that he even needs any tips from me."

Maynard's school records aren't the only ones Miller can strive to break.

The Mid-American Conference's single-season punting record belongs to Atlanta Falcons opening-day kicker Matt Prater, who averaged 47.9 yards per punt for Central Florida in 2003.

The Football Bowl Subdivision's all-time record, at least for those who attempted a minimum of 50 punts, belongs to former Bear Todd Sauerbrun. He clicked for 48.4 yards per kick for West Virginia in 1994.

While Miller certainly pays close attention to his average -- he points his browser to the NCAA's stats Web site every week -- he doesn't see it as his most important measuring stick.

"I wish there was something for 'Inside the 20' on there," Miller said. "I think that's the biggest stat of them all."

For the record, 15 of Miller's 39 punts (38 percent) have gone inside the 20, including 5 in last week's victory.

If he keeps that up while maintaining his average, surely he will achieve one of his short-term goals: becoming a two-time member of Playboy's All-America team.

That's how much Miller loved May's three-day soiree in Phoenix with the other All-Americans. No Hef and no bunnies in sight, yet it still turned out all right.

"I got a really awesome gold medallion that had a Playboy bunny on it, my name and says '2007 Playboy All-America,' " Miller said. "It's in my room at school. I haven't shown it to too many people. It's probably 5 inches around and really heavy."

Miller also traded team gear with several of his fellow all-stars, including Southern Cal linebacker Keith Rivers, Michigan tackle Jake Long and West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton.

"It was crazy," Miller said. "Slaton was really excited to get this Ball State stuff."

In return, Miller received all sorts of uniform-based swag from those guys. In that vein, you think Illinois wouldn't mind sneaking a navy blue home jersey on Miller this weekend?