Every loss stings, but some sting a little bit more than others. Mississippi State's 31–28 loss to Arkansas was a particularly tough pill to swallow after Bulldogs went 0-for-3 on field goal attempts—one of which was from 23 yards out.
The situation has grown so dire, head coach Mike Leach has begun to look outside the program to address his kicking woes.
Leach put out a call to Mississippi State students after the game to come forward to participate in kicking tryouts, looking for a spark for his special teams for the final three games of the season.
"There's an open tryout on our campus for kickers," Leach said, per ESPN's Alex Scarborough. "Anybody that wants to kick or walk on and kick at Mississippi State, we'll hold a tryout any time you can get over there to our building, providing you're cleared by the NCAA."
The Bulldogs are a combined 9-for-17 on field goal attempts this season between two kickers. Each contributed to the horror show on Saturday, with Brandon Ruiz missing twice and Nolan McCord missing a potential game-tying 40-yard attempt on the game's final play.
On the season, Ruiz is 5-for-9 with a long of 44 yards. McCord is 4-for-8 with a long of 39 yards. The pair are a combined 29-for-29 on extra points.
