Despite Connor Hawkins missing a crucial fourth-quarter field goal attempt in Ohio State's 24-23 loss to Texas on Sept. 12 and the Buckeyes' past kicking concerns, coach Ryan Day said he remains confident in the junior kicker.
"I don't think we can group Connor in with anything that's happened in the past," Day said. "That's not Connor's issue. ... We believe what we see in practice, and we're counting on him to make those kicks, and we believe he will make those kicks moving forward."
Hawkins, who transferred to Ohio State from Baylor during the offseason, made his first two field-goal attempts, from 26 and 30 yards, against Texas. In the third quarter, he kicked a 48-yard field goal.
But Hawkins' precision ran out when he stepped up to take a 45-yard
attempt with 4:16 remaining. With the chance to extend Ohio State's 23-17 lead, Hawkins sent his kick far left.
"He's beat himself up over that kick," Day said.
The Buckeyes allowed the game-winning touchdown following Hawkins' miss and failed to score on their last drive in the final 25 seconds.
While Hawkins could have put the game out of Texas' reach, Day shifted some of the blame to the offense, which had only seven plays for 48 yards during the drive.
"We've got to try to put him in a better situation where it's not a 45-yarder," Day said. "We get a couple more first downs, and every time you gain more yardage, you increase the chances when kicking the field goal. So, we all take accountability."
Hawkins joined the Buckeyes after making 81.8% of his field goal attempts with Baylor last season, going 18 for 22. His longest make was from 54 yards, and he made three from over 50 yards.
Ohio State dealt with kicking inaccuracy, especially in big moments, from Jayden Fielding throughout the past three seasons.
Fielding made 78.9% of his field goals as a Buckeye, hitting 45 of 57 attempts, and he hit both of his attempts in the Buckeyes' 2024 national championship win over Notre Dame. However, he had two misses in a 2024 loss to Michigan and a missed 24-yard attempt during the 2025 Big Ten title loss to Indiana.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ryan Day defends Ohio State kicker Connor Hawkins after missed FG vs Texas
