The Auburn football kicking room will be getting a reinforcement this week.

Alex McPherson, the redshirt sophomore, will hopefully make his return from an offseason gastrointestinal illness that has kept him out of action in the Tigers (2-5, 0-4 SEC) first seven games this year. He came off the injury report ahead of the Missouri game but did not kick.

On Monday, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said the Tigers will be turning to McPherson for any field goal under 35-yards, which should include extra points.

“Should we have another opportunity within the 35-yard range, we are going to give Alex (McPherson) that shot. He told me he felt like he could do that, so we’re close to thinking on that. We’ll see how the week goes. Again, we are excited about Towns (McGough) and his future and his talent, but we need to make those. Those are critical moments that keep our momentum up and us feeling good and us feeling like we are finding ways to win the game. But he (Alex) did feel like he could have participated if we had that situation again Saturday," Freeze said.

Freshman Towns McGough stepped in for McPherson, but struggled by going 5 of 10 on field goals. He had a 54-yarder blocked before the half against Georgia and missed a 51-yarder, his only other attempt of more than 32 yards. Against Oklahoma, a six-point loss, one of his misses technically was two attempts after a Sooner penalty gave him another shot — he missed both a 31-yard attempt and a 27-yard attempt.

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Both McPherson and McGough are two of the most decorated kickers in Alabama High School football history. McPherson, whose older brother Evan McPherson is the kicker for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals, starred at Fort Payne High School — ranking second in AHSAA for career field goals made. He holds the AHSAA record for longest field goal at 61 yards, with McGough right behind him at 60 yards. He hit two more 50-plus-yarders in the 2021 game, to give him the AHSAA record for most 50-yard or longer field goals in a single game.

McGough holds the record for most 50-plus-yarders in a season with seen, set his senior year at Auburn High School with seven. The two are tied for the AHSAA career record. McGough went 19 of 22 as a senior, earning All-American and ASWA All-state honors.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Is Auburn football kicker Alex McPherson ready for return to field?