There are two outcomes to a game-winning kick, either overwhelming joy or extreme disappointment. For Mississippi State kicker Westin Graves, the latter is what came to fruition earlier this season when MSU lost to South Alabama 21-20.

After Mississippi State lost a 17-0 lead in the second half to South Alabama, the Bulldogs were down 21-20 when Graves walked onto the field. 

With nine seconds on the clock he was staring down a 28-yard kick, what seemed like a sure make for a guy who was 12-13 on kicks under 40-yard. The ball bounced off the left upright, Graves missed the kick and MSU lost. Devastation set in for not only MSU football but Graves himself.

“Talking to family, talking to people and everybody will say, ‘You’re fine and it’s okay’, but for me it’s not and there wasn’t anybody more upset about that game than I was,” Graves said. “I just started praying and tried to do as much reading in the bible because God speaks so much about falling and getting back up and how he is going to test you. That’s honestly the only reason I was able to bounce back.”

Graves spoke heavily about how his faith carried him through the week. One verse stuck out for Graves through the week, Isaiah 41:10, which reads, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” Graves said what the passage is saying is to not worry. 

“Every time I just try to not to worry because I know it will be alright,” Graves said. “He is going to take care of me, make or miss, and I think that is probably the biggest thing I’ve taken away from this.”

Graves also credited the MSU fan base with helping him through the week. He said he received messages from hundreds of people, most of whom he had never met, and it was all positive from the MSU fan base. He said that in itself is a lesson. Graves said he expected people to be mad, and it taught him to maybe hold back the next time he is mad.

“People have said that Mississippi State is family, and I have always thought that because I’ve always been a Mississippi State fan,” Graves said. “But I’ve never really thought of it this way, it’s been pretty amazing.”

Graves said the support from the team was overwhelming. Senior wide receiver Fred Ross said they should not have put Graves in that position to begin with. 

“He missed a field goal, but there were guys out there who missed blocks, who missed tackles, who dropped passes, who missed throws,” Ross said. “I don’t put that on Graves, we should not have been in that situation at all for him to have to come in and kick that field goal.”

Against South Carolina, Graves got another opportunity and hit both of the field goals he attempted. For him, the best part was the weight of the world being lifted from his shoulders. He said he cannot dwell on the last one and has to worry about the next kick.  

“Your next kick is when you finally can take a sigh of relief,” Graves said. “The truth is just believing in yourself, even though I may have a miss here and there, and you may have a little down period the biggest thing is just trust and belief.”