Alex Herrera lined up at the 39-yard line for a late field goal attempt with South Carolina’s in-conference matchup against LSU on the line.

The Gamecocks were trailing the Tigers 36-33 with five seconds to go. A made kick would tie the score, sending the game into overtime. But a missed kick would end the contest, stunning the large home crowd.

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Herrera had already made two field goals in the game, including one that increased South Carolina’s lead to four points in the fourth quarter. His third attempt would not find its mark, though, and sailed slightly outside the left upright.

“I mean, it wasn’t like he hit a crap kick that never had a chance. He hit a really good kick and just pulled it,” Shane Beamer said. “You could tell by his reaction with Kai (Kroeger) and a lot of people in the end zone – a lot of people thought he made it. My wife was down in the tunnel, I think, (and) she thought he made it.”

Beamer, while driving home from Williams-Brice Stadium, made it a point to call Herrera after the game was over. He used that phone conversation to reiterate his belief in Herrera, while also restoring the sixth-year kicker’s confidence.

“You’re a big-time kicker. You’ve hit some big-time kicks already this year. And you’re going to hit more big-time kicks to help us win football games as the season goes,” Beamer told Herrera. “Keep your head up, and (we) wish we could’ve gotten you a little bit closer there to have an even better kick.”

Herrera is in the midst of his first season as South Carolina’s starting kicker following the departure of Mitch Jeter during the offseason. He has performed well in the role thus far, having made six of eight total field goals and all nine extra point tries. Before Saturday’s game against LSU, Herrera’s lone missed kick was a 48-yard field goal attempt in the team’s season opener.

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What can’t be expressed through a box score, though, is the added pressure associated with the kicking position. Kickers oftentimes have to convert on opportunities with games hanging in the balance. If they miss, they could subject to increased scrutiny.

Beamer admitted that he was concerned about what criticism might come Herrera’s way after the latter’s missed kick.

“As a coach, I worry about Alex because he feels terrible about the end of the game,” Beamer said. “You worry about him when he’s outside this building and what people have to say, or what not.”

But he added that Herrera’s missed kick served as an example of how individual players should continue rallying around each other as the season progresses.

“We all know that that game didn’t come down to one play. We all had a hand in it, myself included. It could’ve been better. You really just wrap your arms around all these guys. We all have each other’s backs, and that’s essentially what it is,” Beamer said. “We had an opportunity to win that game because of everybody, and we need everybody moving forward.”

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