He missed from 28 yards just before intermission against Illinois. It was the same story at the same time against Iowa State from 39 yards out. And he was 0-for-everything from more than 30 yards out. This all from a guy with a golden right leg who had booted a 50-yard try in high school.
"It's kind of hard for me to go through a valley like that," Kaeding said.
But Saturday, he reached the top of the summit.
After Kaeding kicked the 26-yard, game-winning field goal, he rushed to the small but rambunctious Iowa faithful and slapped palms with fans after making the seemingly impossible possible — Iowa 26, Penn State 23.
Those same palms had been sweaty as he lined up with his shaky right leg to make good on a 48-yard kick.
"It's all mental with a kicker," Kaeding said. "That built the confidence. And I kept rolling from there."
After Kaeding kicked it home with about 10 yards to spare, he pressed his fingers into those palms and clenched his fists.
"That first kick probably would have been good from 65 yards," Penn State kicker Ryan Primanti said.
Center A.J. Blazek and punter/holder Jason Baker mobbed Kaeding, who hopped off the field with a bounce in his step after coming through on what was the longest kick of his short collegiate career.
"What it shows about Nate is that he is a very resilient, tough-minded kid," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "I don't know squat about kicking, but what I do know is that I am real impressed by his tenacity. We probably don't have a more fiery guy out there."
On Iowa's next drive, it was the same story. But Kaeding's kick would be one-yard longer after quarterback Kyle McCann took a nine-yard sack. McCann was dropped for a seven-yard loss on the play proceeding Kaeding's first try.
With the same approach, but new-found confidence, Kaeding kicked a 49-yard field goal that stunned Penn State and the crowd as the Hawkeyes held a 13-0 advantage with 1:38 remaining in the first half.
And after the Nittany Lions knotted the score following a two-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Gilmore from Rashard Casey, Kaeding came through again. This time, he sailed a 46-yard try through the uprights that put Iowa ahead with six minutes remaining.
Kaeding's adversary, Ryan Primanti, booted home a 28-yard kick that tied the score — again. But Primanti could not net a kick from twice that range with no time remaining, as his attempt sailed two yards shy and two yards to the right of the upright and sent the contest into overtime.
Kaeding, though, maintained the consistency that he has searched to find all season. After Casey curled into the end zone on a 6-yard score, Hawkeyes tailback Ladell Betts carried the Hawkeyes to the pylon.
The contest came down to Kaeding's extra-point try. The snap was perfect, the hold was perfect and so was Kaeding's kick to perpetuate the game into yet another overtime session.
But Iowa, with the ball first, could not punch it into the end zone. And Kaeding came through again as he kicked the ball past a racing cornerback Bhawoh Jue and through the uprights from 26 yards out on what would prove to be the decisive score.
One play later, Casey's attempt to tight end Tony Stewart fell into the hands of Kaeding's high school teammate, Ryan Hansen, and the kicker raced to the field as a victor. And Kaeding was redeemed.
"I was impressed with how much leg strength he had," Primanti said. "He came out in the clutch and made big kicks."
