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Hawaii kicker wins the internet with unbelievable backstory

Tokyo-born kicker hits game-winner as Hawaii stuns Power Four opponent

When the clock hit zero in Honolulu, a silence fell before Aloha Stadium erupted. Hawaii’s Kansei Matsuzawa, who once learned football by watching YouTube videos in Tokyo, drilled a 38-yard field goal to deliver a 23-20 upset over Stanford. It was Hawaii’s first win over a Power Four program since 2019, and it came off the foot of a kicker who didn’t touch a football until age 20.

Matsuzawa’s story is as improbable as the finish.

First, his transition: a soccer player in Japan, he saw his first NFL game and decided he wanted to try American football. With no coaches, he taught himself how to kick by studying clips on YouTube.

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