COLUMBIA - Tucker McCann leans on advice from someone who knows a thing or two about facing adversity at Missouri: former kicker Andrew Baggett.
Baggett's 355 points he accumulated as a four-year starter is just eight shy of Missouri's all-time scoring record and he made 66 career field goals. Yet it's a field goal he didn't make he might be most remembered for in his Missouri career.
In double overtime against No. 21 South Carolina on Oct. 26, 2013, Baggett's 24-yard field goal attempt hit off the left upright, preserving the Gamecock's 27-24 win against the fift- ranked Tigers. He received vulgar comments on social media, even death threats after the miss.
Having since graduated, Baggett passed on what he learned from the experience to Missouri's freshman kicker.
"Move on, you're going to feel down," McCann said Baggett's message was. "You're going to feel bad for what you do but the best thing to do it move on."
The advice was calming during McCann's shaky start to his college career.
McCann started both on field goals and kickoffs during Missouri's first game of the season at West Virginia. He made his first attempt - a 24-yarder to cut the West Virginia lead to 13-3 in the second quarter - but it went downhill from there.
The ensuing kickoff was the first of his career, one where he accidentally kicked the top of the football. That caused it to line drive off the tee and land at the West Virginia 19-yard line before Shelton Gibson picked it up at the 8-yard line and returned it 34 yards.
"I guess I was pretty nervous," McCann said. "It was more of having a hard time controlling my emotions of being too amped up like on the kickoff that I shanked."
His second career attempt was another 34-yarder later in the quarter. He took a deep breath, ran forward and swung his right leg at the ball holder Jake Brents held upright on the turf in front of and to the left of the goal post.
Wide left.
As soon as the ball elevated above the line of scrimmage, it hooked left and fell into the stands. While he walked to the sideline, Missouri head coach Barry Odom wrapped his arm around McCann's left shoulder and walked off the field with him.
"He was just telling me to forget about it," McCann said, "just move onto the next one, and I'm good and just to move on and forget about it."
His 42-yard attempt in the fourth quarter wobbled wide right.
Against Eastern Michigan the following week, junior Turner Adams had first crack at field goals but McCann got the job back after Adams missed on his third extra point attempt. After McCann missed his first extra point try of the night, boos could be heard in Faurot Field. He did rebound to make his next five extra points, including receiving an ovation when he made his second attempt, but social media was still relentless.
Yet McCann held on to what Baggett told him.
"I definitely learned from that because I would say after that, all the stuff that was going on social media all that it's going to come with the territory," McCann said, "and he just said to mostly don't even listen to it, don't even let it get to you."
During his weekly press conference Sept. 12, Odom wasn't certain who would kick field goals for last Saturday's game against No. 16 Georgia, but did say if he had to do it that instant it would be McCann.
"Tucker McCann would go out and would line up, and do a great job," Odom said. "He would drill it between the uprights."
McCann did just that against the Bulldogs.
He converted all three extra points and both field goals, including a 46-yarder, in the 28-27 loss. Despite it being fourth-and-15 on a second quarter drive, Missouri originally left its offense on the field. They decided to take a time out then sent in the field goal unit for the 46-yard try.
"It definitely gave me a lot more confidence to go out there and do my job," McCann said. "I was already thinking I was going to make it, but him putting me out there putting the faith in me gave me that much more confidence to sink it."
McCann said kicking is about 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. He has the physical side, which led him to be the nation's top kicking recruit and receiving a scholarship from Missouri when he was at O'Fallon (Ill.) High School.
His talent has already been on display during kickoffs.
After the shanked kickoff, 15 of McCann's ensuing 17 kickoff appearances have been for a touchback. The only two that weren't was an onside kick Missouri recovered against West Virginia, and one he sailed into the end zone that Reggie Davis ran out against Georgia.
"Kid's got a crazy strong leg, it's stupid honestly," sophomore punter Corey Fatony said. "It's a luxury to have, he went 10-for-10 on touchbacks? It's a luxury. Not a lot of guys can do that."
McCann and Fatony both agreed it might be for the best McCann went through adversity early. It made the true freshman stronger mentally, and he can look back on how he got past his early-season struggles if he has tough times down the road.
Such is life as a kicker.
"I'm feeling great, I'm just excited that my teammates and coaches have a lot of faith in me," McCann said. "Every day they would tell me that I got this, and I just feel a lot more confident in doing my job."