Ben Sauls, a Tippecanoe graduate, kicks 42-yard field goal in No. 17 Pittsburgh's victory in Backyard Brawl

Tippecanoe High School graduate Ben Sauls kicked a 42-yard field goal and made all five of his extra-point attempts Thursday in No. 17 Pittsburgh’s 38-31 victory against West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl.

Sauls, a redshirt sophomore, beat out the returning starter at place-kicker, Sam Scarton, in the preseason.

“Sauls has been most consistent (in training camp),” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi told TribLive.com. “He’s hit 82% of his field goals this summer.”

“It was interesting splitting up kicks,” Sauls told reporters. “I thought we both had a great season last year. But we make each other better and I’d even throw Caleb Junko in there. We have three really good kickers and there’s constant competition.

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Sauls handled kickoff duties last season and averaged 62.3 yards on 104 kickoffs with 44 touchbacks (42%). He also had four tackles on kickoff coverage.

The field goal Thursday was Sauls’ first attempt of his career. He made 2 of 4 PATs last season.

As a freshman in 2020, Sauls made one appearance in the season opener against Austin Peay and made an extra point in a 55-0 victory.

At Tippecanoe, Sauls was a Division III All-Ohio first-team selection. He kicked field goals of 55 yards and 49 yards, twice breaking the school record, against Fairborn as a senior in 2019. He was the 12th-ranked placekicker in the class of 2020, according to 247Sports.com.

Sauls also played soccer for Tippecanoe and ranked third in the Miami Valley League with 19 goals as a senior.