Fry on verge of becoming Gamecocks' all-time leading scorer
When Elliott Fry first arrived on the South Carolina campus in June 2013, some day becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer was the farthest thing from his mind.
Instead, he was understandably focused on just winning the placekicker job.
More than three years later, Fry is about to make history.
Former placekicker Collin Mackie (1987-90) has held the Gamecocks career scoring record for 26 years. Mackie amassed 330 points in four years, far ahead of Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers (202 points) in second place when Mackie graduated.
As the years passed, Marcus Lattimore (2010-12) and Ryan Succop (2005-08) passed Rogers on the scoring list with 246 and 251 points, respectively, but ran out of time pursuing Mackie, the only player in Gamecock history to surpass 300 career points until Fry achieved the feat earlier this season.
Now Fry is knocking on Mackie’s door.
The senior from Frisco, Tex. has scored 329 career points, one fewer than Mackie, connoting he will tie or set a new scoring record with his first successful PAT or field goal in Saturday’s 4 p.m. home game against SEC East bottom dweller Missouri.
Thus, unless the Gamecocks are blanked by a Missouri defense allowing 30.4 points (11th in SEC) and 475.6 total yards (last in SEC) per game, Fry will depart Williams-Brice Stadium no worse than tied for the school’s all-time scoring record.
The overwhelming odds, though, are Fry will solely own the scoring record by the conclusion of Saturday’s game.
“Everyone has expectations to play coming in as a freshman,” Fry said. “I don’t think you come here to a big Division I school to not play. I definitely thought I had the opportunity to (play as a freshman). I never had my sights set on being the career points leader. I was just going to come and try to be a successful kicker whenever I could. I was just focused on winning the job and trying to play freshman year. I didn’t think too much about the future.”
Through remarkable consistency, Fry has steadily climbed his way up the Gamecocks’ scoring list, scoring 99 points as a freshman in 2013 and 105 points in 2014. USC’s offensive woes in 2015 limited him to 85 points, giving him 289 career points entering the 2016 campaign.
Fry is 8-of-11 in field goal attempts this season and has extended his PAT streak to a school record 140 straight. Fry has connected on 74.4 percent (61-of-82) of his career field goal attempts. That average jumps to 80.6 percent (58-72) on attempts under 50 yards.
Fry has been virtually automatic inside 40 yards, making 38-of-41 field goal attempts from 39 yards or closer.
Fry isn’t wasting time fretting over the possibility of zooming past Mackie on the all-time scoring list. He knows it will eventually happen, probably Saturday.
“We’re just focusing on the next game and trying to become bowl-eligible,” Fry said. “You get a lot of points from things like extra points, so it’s not like I’m going out there thinking ‘I’ve got to get this. I’ve got to get that.’ A lot of it is extra points and things like that. I’m just focused on making kicks.”
Will Fry celebrate on the field when he finally sets the record? Probably not since he would be risking a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty.
“I don’t know if there’s necessarily going to be any celebrations during the game,” Fry said. “I don’t want to kick off from the 20. That wouldn’t be good. I’d probably get in a lot of trouble. We’re really more focused on the game. I’ve got to get points for my team, not necessarily that I’ve got to get more points to break the record. I’m really just focused on getting the points in that game.”
Will Muschamp appreciates the skills Fry brings to the table because he has coached on several teams where place kicking, even PATs, was an adventure.
Not with Fry.
“I have a huge confidence level with Elliott,” Muschamp said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. “I go into pregame and I ask Elliott, 'Where do you feel good from?' And he tells me. I know right then, so I don't even worry about it anymore. There's no discussion about it anymore on the headsets, just that's where we are. It's a luxury that you don't always have. I've been in other situations where you're worried about whether you can get it through the uprights for an extra point.”
While Mackie’s scoring standard stood for 26 years, Fry doesn’t believe his scoring mark, wherever it ends up, will last quiet as long. In fact, he believes the future record holder is on the Gamecocks roster right now.”
“It’s probably going to get broken in the next four years after I leave,” Fry said. “We have a pretty good freshman kicker in Alex Woznick (from Greenville), who will probably be playing next year. He’ll have four years with a really progressive team that’s probably going to be very good the next four years. So, it’s probably going to get broken. It’s definitely awesome to be able to break it, but at the end of the day, it’s just a record.”
SEC WEEK 10 SCHEDULE (Nov. 5)
Georgia Southern at Ole Miss, noon (ESPNU)
Vanderbilt at Auburn, noon (ESPN)
Texas A&M at Mississippi State, noon (SEC Network)
Florida at Arkansas, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
Missouri at South Carolina, 4 p.m. (SEC Network)
Tennessee Tech at Tennessee, 4 p.m. (SEC Network Alt. Channel)
Georgia at Kentucky, 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Alabama at LSU, 8 p.m. (CBS)
SEC EAST STANDINGS (After Week 9)
Florida 4-1 (6-1)
Kentucky 4-2 (5-3)
Tennessee 2-3 (5-3)
South Carolina 2-4 (4-4)
Georgia 2-4 (4-4)
Vanderbilt 1-3 (4-4)
Missouri 0-4 (2-6)
