Mississippi State is still looking for a kicker.
But the man currently manning the position is improving.
“He’s progressively getting better,” head coach Mike Leach said Monday of redshirt freshman Nolan McCord. “He kicks real well in practice. His day is coming.”
McCord missed his shot when a 40-yard field goal sailed wide left in the final seconds of a 31-28 loss Nov. 6 at Arkansas.
After the game, Leach called for “open tryouts” at kicker with anyone who could be cleared by the NCAA welcome to walk on and try their leg for the Bulldogs.
But with fifth-year senior Brandon Ruiz not making the trip to Auburn and a potential new kicker still in the works, McCord handled placekicking duties again Saturday.
He made all four of his extra points, connected on a 34-yard field goal and hit the left upright on a miss from, again, 40 yards away.
Leach said Monday that Mississippi State had around 40 kickers turn out for a tryout last week. In his past kicker tryouts, his teams have seen about 100 kickers come in — “of which you keep maybe four,” Leach said.
“We’d just like to, one, open it up to anyone who is a good kicker,” he said. “Two, we would like to have a bank of kickers.”
Mississippi State, which ranks No. 125 in field goal percentage at 10 for 19 this season, could certainly use them.
O-line hopes to continue consistency
LaQuinston Sharp knows things are never easy in the trenches.
But the Mississippi State center and the rest of the Bulldogs’ offensive line did their best to obscure that fact Saturday at Auburn. MSU gave up just two sacks — one of which was likely caused by quarterback Will Rogers holding onto the ball too long — in the comeback victory.
“It was really physical,” Sharp said. “We had to play ball — can’t be scared. Everybody had to do their job and get things done.”
The Bulldogs’ O-line continued a strong run of play recently, allowing just three sacks to Arkansas on Nov. 6 and two to Kentucky on Oct. 30. The win over the Wildcats marked the first start for Cole Smith at right guard in place of Kwatrivous “Dollar Bill” Johnson.
“I think he has done a pretty good job,” Leach said of Smith. “He has got some experience. We are a limited-experience group there.”
Redshirt sophomore left tackle Charles Cross has perhaps the most experience of any Bulldogs lineman. Sharp simply said “Charles is Charles” when asked about the consistent production by the projected NFL first-round draft pick.
“We put him in a position to play early to begin with,” Leach said of Cross. “He’s got really good feet which allowed him when he was smaller to center guys up and square up guys. Now, he has gotten bigger. He was able to play as a freshman, so I think that logging those reps and experience has helped him quite a lot.”
Leach said the Bulldogs still need to work on finishing run blocks, but Sharp noted the Bulldogs’ pass blocking improvement even with Smith shaking up the unit.
Now, Mississippi State will hope that success continues.
“Everybody’s just got to keep doing what they do,” Sharp said.
Bulldogs reenter College Football Playoff rankings
Mississippi State’s loss to Arkansas knocked the Bulldogs out of the No. 17 spot in the season’s first College Football Playoff rankings, landing them outside the top 25 entirely the following week.
Now, they’re back, even if just barely.
MSU landed the No. 25 spot in Tuesday’s rankings, one of six Southeastern Conference schools in the top 25. The Bulldogs have lost to No. 2 Alabama and No. 21 Arkansas, have beaten No. 16 Texas A&M and No. 20 North Carolina State and will play No. 12 Ole Miss on Nov. 25.
Mississippi State’s win over Auburn knocked the Tigers from the No. 17 position and dropped them out of the rankings entirely.
In Sunday’s AP poll, the Bulldogs were the top team receiving votes outside the top 25. They were fifth among teams receiving votes in the USA TODAY coaches poll.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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