The past two years have been a struggle for Alex McPherson. The Auburn kicker has battled an illness that caused him to lose weight and, therefore, power in his right kicking leg.
In his junior season, the Fort Payne, Ala., native has been perfect on extra points and all four field goal attempts, but hasn't had the power to try the long field goals that he was adept at making in his freshman season.
According to Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze, it is getting close to the time that the kicker will be at full strength.
"Had a great day today," the coach said. "Kicked two 51-yarders. Couldn’t be more pleased and happy for him. So I feel very confident now where he’s at."
While he is making those attempts in practice, McPherson has yet to attempt a field goal from more than 40 yards in a game this season. The Tigers have tried other field goal kickers in Towns McGough and Connor Gibbs, but they have combined to go 0-for-2.
With the news that McPherson is back to hitting 50-plus yard field goals, is he back to being the main guy when the Tigers need three points? Freeze says yes.
"He felt good today from 50," he said. "Unless he tells me different in pregame on Saturday evening, that would probably be -- if we had to do something longer than that, you're deciding between punting and kicking. It would have to be somebody else. Unless he has a shot of adrenaline running through him because of playing in this game, and he tells me differently, that's the line."