Manhattan ? Kansas State kicker Jared Brite may not be the most popular man on campus, but he’s trying not to pay attention.

Brite and the Wildcats’ kicking problems were exposed Saturday in a 17-14 loss to No. 8 Texas when the junior’s 36-yard field goal was blocked by Marcus Tubbs with 7 seconds remaining.

Brite’s extra-point attempt in the second quarter was blocked as well, leaving coach Bill Snyder discouraged and looking for solutions.

The Wildcats are approaching the problem by focusing on fundamentals.

“The biggest switch is that you’ve got to roll your sleeves up and go to work and find a way to make it happen,” said Snyder, whose team plays today at Baylor. “Will there be changes? That’s quite possible. I don’t know yet. It’s a mechanical thing that has to get worked out.”

Brite and sophomore kicker Joe Rheem have battled for the starting job all season. Together, the pair have missed a nation-leading seven extra-point attempts. In the 44-9 win over Oklahoma State, two extra points were blocked and one hit the backside of long snapper Russ Vanover.

Brite has missed 2-of-4 field goal tries this season, and Rheem has missed 2-of-3. Both have had a field goal blocked.

Brite started against Texas, but kicked his first attempt low. He said the final kick was right on despite a coverage breakdown on the left side of the line.

“It’s collective,” Snyder said. “We have to kick the ball better and we have to protect better. I think both are issues. One can draw attention to the other very easily.”

Following the game, some of Kansas State’s fans responded negatively to Brite. The student newspaper printed several insulting comments about the kicker in the Campus Fourum, a call-in section that features student views.

Nevertheless, Brite said he’s not paying too much attention.

“I really don’t feel like there is any more or less pressure, everything has been the same,” Brite said. “I’d like to come back, get everything back on the right track and make sure we get our PATs and field goals through and take one thing at a time.”

The lackluster kicking game has been common during the past two seasons. Snyder used five kickers last season as the Wildcats missed 6-of-13 field goals and eight extra-point attempts.