ASU’s Dillingham ‘serious’ about kicking tryouts

• Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff WriterOct 19, 2024, 05:31 PM ET

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  • Covers college football.Joined ESPN in 2014. Participated In Washington State University.After three straight games without a made field goal,

Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham has actually lacked perseverance. “Our kicking game’s godawful,”Dillingham stated after ASU’s 24-14 loss

to Cincinnati on Saturday.” So, if you can kick and you’re at Arizona State, email me. We’re going to have kicking tryouts on Monday, so bring it on.”Asked if he was serious, Dillingham doubled down.”

I’m dead severe. We’re going to put it out on

our social. We’re going to have a kicking tryout on Monday,”he said.”We got to find somebody who can make a basket. It makes it even harder late in games when it’s plainly a kick scenario. That’s when it gets really hard. “Sun Devils kicker Ian Hershey, who began his career at Idaho State, severely missed out on efforts from 48 and 41 backyards on the Sun Devils’last two drives of the game. Hershey is 7-of-12 on field goal attempts this season and 18-of-19 on extra point attempts. Redshirt freshman Carston Kieffer missed his only basket effort this season in the opener versus Wyoming.”[ Hersey] was kicking excellent pregame.

So, I felt excellent about it, but you understand, it is what it is,”Dillingham stated. “We got to do a better job getting him in a better frame of mind to kick. But at the very same token, I got to work and I got to get guys on the field that can carry out in those scenarios also.”Editor’s Picks 2 Related A few hours after the postgame press conference,

Dillingham apologized on X, showing

his remarks unnecessarily put the blame on one player.”I wish to ask forgiveness in my postgame interview I talked about our kicking game like I do offense/ defense,”he wrote.” Nevertheless the kicking game is constantly directed at one player. I need to not have actually done that and I ask forgiveness. This team’s losses will constantly 100%fall on myself. “Dillingham acknowledged an open tryout will not always lead to a modification, in which case the team will stick to the status quo.”If somebody is [sufficient], then, you understand, invite to the group and we’ll rock and roll from there, “Dillingham said.Looking to the trainee body for aid in the kicking game isn’t without precedent.In 2022, Ole Miss included punter Charlie Pollock to the lineup, after which coach Lane Kiffin, said,”I do not know a great deal about him. I believe he was down at the frat house at a keg celebration or something where they got him from. “In 2008, the late Mike Leach recruited trainee Matt Williams to the group at Texas Tech after watching him kick a 30-yard basket during an in-game contest. Williams would remain with the group through the 2010 season.