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James McCourt’s first career FG tied an Illinois record

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

James McCourt picked up his first career field goal in the win over UConn and it was one to remember!

McCourt started off the season kicking well for Illinois in the opener against Akron. He went a perfect 6-for-6 on extra-point attempts but missed his lone field goal try.

Thankfully, McCourt would get a chance to make up for that miss in Week 2. On the road against UConn, McCourt went 4-for-4 on extra-point attempts and drilled his lone field goal try. It also came from way downtown and was recorded as a 53-yard field goal.

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Not only is that an impressive first career field goal, but it is also a record-worthy kick. According to Illinois Football, McCourt’s kick is tied for the longest field goal on the road in program history. It is also tied for fifth-longest all-time at Illinois.

That’s one way to get your first field goal:

To start the year, McCourt is 10-for-10 on extra-point attempts and 1-for-2 on field goals.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.