Michael Hunnicutt Credits FG Misses vs. Texas Tech in 2011 for Making Him Better

Dec. 30, 2011; Tempe, AZ, USA; Oklahoma Sooners kicker Michael Hunnicutt (18) kicks a point after touchdown as wide receiver Nyko Symonds (81) holds during the first half of the 2011 Insight Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

When most Oklahoma Sooners fans think back to the Texas Tech game in 2011, it brings back a queasy feeling. That was the game where OU’s home winning streak, the longest in the nation, came crashing down. Texas Tech was running up and down the field and scoring at will against an overmatched Sooners secondary.

One player might have taken the loss harder than any other. The Oklahoma Sooners lost that game, 41-38 – a three point loss. In that game, kicker Michael Hunnicutt missed two field goals. If he had just made one of those, the game could have gone into overtime. If he had made both, the home winning streak would have lasted another day.

In 2013, two years later, Michael Hunnicutt is one of the Sooners’ team captains. Head coach Bob Stoops, who is not one to give unwarranted praise, has said that Hunnicutt is one of the stars on this team and someone he is very proud of. Over his Sooners’ career, Hunnicutt has hit 53 of 61 field goal attempts (85 percent). That is only eight misses in his career, which sees him as the Sooners’ record holder for field goals.

Two of those eight misses came against Texas Tech, something he is bringing into the game on Saturday afternoon.

“It was definitely a really rough game,” Hunnicutt said. “I didn’t miss the rest of that season and it made me more mentally strong, I’d say. When you have a miss like that, you don’t ever want to feel like that again. I never felt so bad like that after a game before. I try to make all my kicks so I don’t ever feel like that again.”

In 2013, Hunnicutt is 15-of-16 on field goals and 21-of-22 on extra points. He is one of the most clutch players on the Sooners’ team, regardless of position. The Oklahoma Sooners can only hope that the Texas Tech Red Raiders game will come down to a field goal this year.

It would be hard to bet against Michael Hunnicutt making the kick this time around.