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16 DAYS TO 2016 KICKOFF: Matthew McCrane

In which BracketCat counts down the 16th day until the 2016 kickoff with a profile of kicker Matthew McCrane.

Due to injury, Matthew McCrane had a tiny sophomore slump in 2015. But he still posted one of the best seasons by a kicker in K-State history. What's next?
Due to injury, Matthew McCrane had a tiny sophomore slump in 2015. But he still posted one of the best seasons by a kicker in K-State history. What's next?
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Goal No. 16: RESPONSIBILITY. You are responsible for your own performance.

#16 Matthew McCrane
Redshirt Junior
5-10 | 165
Brownwood, Texas

Bio

Position: Kicker

Previous College: None

Projection: Starter

Status: On Scholarship

Matthew McCrane (Sept. 8, 1994) is a talented young kicker who redshirted in 2013, took over place-kicking duties during the fourth game of 2014 and now has completed two of the best seasons by a kicker in school history.

A two-time All-Big 12 kicker who has shared primary place-kicking duties during the past two seasons, McCrane will look to take over the entirety of place-kicking responsibilities as a junior.

He currently ranks first in school history and tops nationally among active players, having made 96.2 percent (25 of 26) of his career field goals, and he needs to make his next field-goal attempt to tie the school record for career consecutive field goals made, while he also is three field goals shy of entering the school’s career top-10 list.

McCrane, who earned 2015 and 2016 preseason All-Big 12 honors from Athlon and Phil Steele, graduated in May with a degree in marketing and should end up on the Lou Groza Award watch list for the second straight season.

He connected on 18 of 19 field goals in the final 10 games of 2014 — including all 11 from 30 yards or more — and 41 of 42 extra points en route to honorable mention All-American, Freshman All-American and All-Big 12 honors.

McCrane led the nation in field-goal percentage at 94.7 percent, while he was 20th nationally and fourth in the Big 12 in field goals per game (1.50).

He shattered the K-State freshman record for points with 94, nearly 40 more than the previous record held by Martin Gramatica (1994). His totals ranked second in school history for field-goal percentage and tied for fifth in makes.

McCrane also tied for third in school history in single-season 50-yard field goals, including connecting on a 53-yarder against Oklahoma State, the longest by a freshman in school history and longest by a Wildcat since 2011.

He also was true on a 52-yard attempt against Kansas as he became the first freshman kicker in school history with two 50-yarders in a year. Then he made four field goals at West Virginia, which tied for the second most in school history, were the most in the Big 12 that season and tied for the sixth most nationally in 2014.

McCrane earned Lou Groza Star of the Week honors following the Texas game, in which he made all three field-goal attempts, tying for 10th in school history in single-game field goals made.

He was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week following the Kansas game by making both field-goal attempts and all five extra-point attempts. He also made five or more extra points against UTEP (7), Oklahoma State (6) and Texas Tech (5), and was a second-team Academic All-Big 12 honoree.

Last season, McCrane connected on all seven field-goal attempts and 15 extra-point attempts en route to honorable mention All-Big 12 honors, despite missing a portion of the year due to injury. He teamed with Jack Cantele to give K-State the second set of kickers in Big 12 history to earn All-Big 12 honors in the same season.

McCrane connected on both field-goal attempts against South Dakota, and one apiece against Kansas and West Virginia, including a season-long 40-yarder against the Mountaineers. He made all three field-goal attempts in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Arkansas, breaking his own school record for 3-point makes in a bowl game.

He was true on a season-high five extra-point attempts at Kansas, while he also made all four against South Dakota. Suffice to say, McCrane is going to be kicking for us for the next two years and his job will be pretty secure.