Following one of the best games of his college career, Mason Shipley has added to his trophy case. On Monday, the Longhorns kicker earned the first SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honor of his career. The honor comes as no surprise after Shipley led the Longhorns to a win over Kentucky last week.
In the Longhorns’ first SEC road win of the year, Shipley connected on all three of his field goal attempts against the Wildcats. While the Longhorns’ offense struggled to get anything going, the Texas native was perfect in the second half, including a season-long 53-yarder with two minutes left in the third quarter. For Shipley, it was the continuation of what has been a stellar start to his first season in Austin.
As the Texas State transfer led the Longhorns to a win, he also made history. In overtime, Shipley’s 45-yard field goal was the program’s first-ever walk-off field goal in overtime. He accounted for nine of the Longhorns’ 17 points. The three in overtime were the biggest of the night by far.
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Through seven games, Shipley has been one of the Longhorns’ best players, making 11 of his 13 kicks. He has also been perfect with extra points, going 22-22. His consistency has been a welcome sign after the Longhorns dealt with kicking issues last season. With Shipley in the mix, Texas has also had a reliable weapon from within fifty yards of the end zone.
So far this season, Shipley has not missed a kick under 50 yards. In those situations, he has gone for 10 with plenty of time to add to those numbers. While a kicker isn’t always the position that stands out in the box score, Shipley has made the most of his opportunities. On Saturday, he will again play an important role when Texas takes on a Mississippi State team off to a 4-3 start.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas Football kicker Mason Shipley earns SEC honors
