Kenny Dillingham apologizes for calling out kicking game, tryout post-game comments

Arizona State lost a tough one on Saturday, 24-14 to the Cincinnati Bearcats. Sun Devils’ kicker Ian Hershey missed both of his field goal attempts and his head coach, Kenny Dillingham was not pleased about it. Following the game, he called the kicking “atrocious” and said there would be kicking tryouts on Monday.

Shortly after, Dillingham decided to apologize for ripping his kicker.

“I would like to apologize in my post game press conference I talked about our kicking game I like I do offense/defense. However the kicking game is always directed at one player. I should not have done that and I apologize. This team’s losses will always 100% fall of myself,” Dillingham tweeted on Saturday evening.

I would like to apologize in my post game press conference I talked about our kicking game like I do offense / defense. However the kicking game is always directed at one player. I should not have done that and I apologize. This team’s losses will always 100% fall on myself.…

— Coach Dillingham (@KennyDillingham) October 19, 2024

Kenny Dillingham calls out kicking game

After struggles in the kicking game against Cincinnati, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham was searching high and low for a replacement. The Sun Devils will have open tryouts on Monday, he said in his postgame press conference.

Arizona State kicker Ian Hershey missed both field goal attempts during Saturday’s game – one from 41 yards and another from 48 yards. It’s been a rough year for the Sun Devils’ kicking game, which entered Week 8 ranked 107th in the nation with a 63.6% percentage.

Those struggles are why Dillingham is issuing a call to Arizona State students to come try out. He made it clear he wasn’t joking and tryouts will be Monday.

“You can be aggressive, but just because you convert, doesn’t guarantee you make it one possession,” Dillingham said. “You hope you can make a kick, one of those. But our kicking game’s atrocious. So if you can kick and you’re at Arizona State, email me. We’re gonna have kicking tryouts on Monday. Bring it on, kicking tryouts Monday. Let’s go. … I’m dead serious.

“We’re gonna put it out on our social. We’re gonna have a kicking tryout on Monday. We’ve got to find somebody who can make a field goal.”

Arizona State dropped to 5-2 on the season with a 24-14 loss to Cincinnati on Saturday. Both missed field goals came late in the second half as the Sun Devils tried to get back within one score. Those situations are why Kenny Dillingham said it gets frustrating when there are questions at the kicker position, and it’s why he’s now opening it up to tryouts.

“It makes it even harder late in games, when it’s clearly a kick scenario,” Dillingham said. “That’s when it gets really hard because you’re like, it’s clearly a kick. You definitely want to take points here, there’s no doubt in your mind. He hadn’t had a kick this game. He was kicking good pregame, so I felt good about it. But it is what it is.

“We’ve got to do a better job getting him in a better mental state to kick, but at the same token, I’ve got to do a job and I’ve got to get guys on the field that can perform in those situations, as well. We’ll go to work and get better. We’ll have a tryout and see if somebody’s good enough. If somebody’s not, then you know what? Status quo, keep going to work. If somebody is, then we’ll add him to the team and rock and roll from there.”

On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.