Copyright Arkansas Online
Former University of Arkansas kicker Cam Little has been the talk of the NFL the past couple of days, particularly within the tight-knit kicking community. Little entered the NFL record book with his 68-yard field goal on the final play of the first half during the Jacksonville Jaguars' 30-29 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Little broke the NFL record of 66 yards set by Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 26, 2021, as time expired to beat the Detroit Lions 19-17 in Detroit. The Arkansas record holder for field-goal accuracy, who also made a 70-yard field goal during the exhibition season, was welcomed on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday with a "Woo Pig" and a Hog Call from McAfee and his four co-stars. A beaming Little participated in the Hog Call via his video connection from Jacksonville, Fla., and talked about his confidence in the operation with deep snapper Ross Matiscik and holder Logan Cooke. "Obviously Logan and Ross both do a great job of prepping me for this stuff," Little said. "Logan always think I hit the ball the best when I'm swinging the hardest. So I told him right as I was going out there to spot it, I said, "I'm swinging hard at this football.' I'm making sure I'm going to drill this thing. "I spot it and I'm looking down and I tell him that, and he's like 'Hit that ball hard, boy.' " Little clearly did just that, clearing the crossbar with a few yards to spare to touch off a wild celebration on the Jacksonville sideline. "I hit it hard and it obviously stuck left-middle the whole time," Little told McAfee in regard to nailing the NFL record after his 70-yarder in the preseason is not allowed in the record book. "For it to finally come to fruition was so cool." The Division I collegiate record of 67 yards is shared by three kickers, including former Arkansas All-American Steve Little, who made the kick during a 13-9 loss to Texas on Oct. 15, 1977, at Fayetteville. Cam Little also discussed his record kick on TMZ Sports, saying his record is instantly in jeopardy because of the sheer number of strong kickers in the NFL. Little said he's made a 72-yarder in pre-game. "If the conditions are right, you think you could go to 70 potentially, maybe 72 in a game," Little said. "And not even just me. There's guys around the league. "You look at Brandon Aubrey (of the Dallas Cowboys) for instance. That guy is unbelievably talented at what he does. He's got the most 60-yarders made, I think, in NFL history. "It's crazy how good guys are getting, so you'll probably see -- I hate to say this -- but you'll probably see my record broken at some point this season because guys are so talented and so good at kicking the football now." Aubrey attempted a 68-yard field goal Monday night against Arizona. The try had the distance but it floated left and was unsuccessful. Little made 53 of 64 field-goal tries during three seasons at Arkansas (2021-23) for an 82.8% conversion rate that easily snapped Connor Limpert's record of 78.6%. The 6-1, 175-pounder from Moore, Okla., made 27 of 29 attempts as a rookie for the Jaguars, a 93.1% rate. However, he was just 10 of 14 on the season, including misses in each of his previous two games, before going 3 of 3 against the Raiders. Jacksonville Coach Liam Coen described the immediate reaction to Little's field goal, which pulled the Jaguars within 6-3 at halftime, as like winning the Super Bowl. "But it was what ignited us," Coen said. "And that confidence from him, from a guy that has been struggling, that was a really special moment for our team." Little said he has heard from friends, family and many in the kicking fraternity, such as Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates, his former teammate at Arkansas, and Saints kicker Blake Grupe, who played at Arkansas State. "The kicking fraternity and punting fraternity is (tight knit)," Little said. "You hear from guys around the league, telling you 'kudos,' giving you 'That's insane.' ... There's so many guys around the league that could hit that." His close friends have celebrated the accomplishment with him as well. "I have a lot of people in my life that are reminding me that this is a really cool feat and how impressive and how dramatic it actually is," he told TMZ Sports. "Obviously I want to remain humble in it and know that this came with a lot of hard work and preparation."
