Missouri Kicker Named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week

After a perfect day against Boston College, Blake Craig received recognition for his performance.

Aug 29, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers place kicker Blake Craig (19) prepares to kick the point after touchdown against the Murray State Racers during the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Missouri football's win over Boston College on Saturday came down to only a six-point difference, and if it wasn't for kicker Blake Craig's valuable contributions, the final score could've swung in a different direction.

Craig was named the SEC's Special Teams Player of the Week following a perfect game, making 4-for-4 field goals and extra point for a total of 13 points on the day. This included a 56-yard field goal, the longest of his young career.

The freshman is now tied for the most field goals per game in college football, alongside UNLV's Caden Chittenden, Eastern Michigan's Jesus Gomez and SMU's Collin Rogers.

🏈 SEC Special Teams Player of the Week: WK 3

🐯 Blake Craig@MizzouFootball x #SECFB pic.twitter.com/mzIZKNCSep

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) September 16, 2024

"Difference in the game," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said on Craig's peformance.

The Tigers struggled early on to gain offensive momentum, falling behind 14-3 in the middle of the second quarter. Craig still managed to make an impact throughout the game though, helping them claw back to gain the lead score by score.

This came after a rough outing from Craig against Buffalo in Week 2, where he only went 1-for-3 on field goals — albeit attempts from a far distance. Missouri easily could've panicked and lost confidence in the first-year kicker, but instead, it kept its confidence building into Week 3.

"There's a lot of questions about his field goals last week and I said I wasn't really concerned about it because I know he's got the leg for him to hit that 57-yarder at the end of the half," Drinkwitz said. "I think it gave our team a lot of confidence going into the half and he had an excellent game today."

As difficult as replacing Harrison Mevis was after last season, Craig's peformance on Saturday showed that he's ready to step-in as the Tigers' true No. 1 kicker.