Hogs kicker earns SEC honor

Little named Freshman of the Week for 2nd time

arkansasrazorbacks.com FAYETTEVILLE — Providing the winning difference in Arkansas’ 31-28 SEC victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs last Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium earned Razorbacks place-kicker Cam Little his second SEC Freshman of the Week honor for 2021.

Little’s honor was announced Monday by the SEC Office in Birmingham, Alabama.

Not missing until from 42 yards on his fourth and final and, ironically short-

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est attempt, true freshman Little of Moore, Oklahoma, kicked a season-long tying 46-yarder and season-long 48-yarder during Arkansas’ 13-7 first-half eclipsed by his season-long 51-yarder during the third quarter.

Little kicked his 3 of 4 field goals while Mississippi State kicker Brandon Ruiz missed field goal tries of 23 and 46 yards.

With the Bulldogs trying for a game-tying, 40-yard field goal on the game’s last play, Mississippi State Coach Mike Leach yanked Ruiz for freshman walk-on Nolan McCord.

McCord missed badly wide left.

Leach postgame verbally tossed his kickers under the bus.

“There’s an open tryout on our campus for kickers,” Leach was quoted.

“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.”

McCord got more respect from his Arkansas counterpart. Little made a point postgame on the field to seek and commiserate with the Bulldogs kicker.

The SEC Network, televising last Saturday’s game, captured Little’s sportsmanship which Arkansas coach Sam Pittman didn’t see firsthand in postgame hubbub but certainly appreciated.

“I thought it was awesome,” Pittman said at his weekly Monday press conference. “I didn’t know anything about it until social media afterwards or yesterday or whenever it was. That just shows you what kind of guy Cam Little is. For him to have the concern – and I don’t know if they were friends – you know the kickers, punters, they go around together to all these different camps and he may have known him. He may not have. If he didn’t that was even a better and bigger gesture. It says a little about him. I’m glad he’s on our team.”

As a person and a kicker.

“He certainly played well,” Pittman said.