Posted by NoleCC

By Bill Kristoph

Heading into the 2005 season, most fans are paying close attention to the quarterback battle at FSU. With apologies to Xavier and Drew, a more interesting battle is brewing on special teams. Who will be the Seminole kicker when the season opens on Labor Day? Your suspects are, Gary Cismesia (SO), Chase Goggans (SO) and Graham Gano (FR, recruited as a punter).

Gary Cismesia Did a great job of relieving Xavier Beitia last year, until the Florida game. Has another FSU kicker cracked for good under pressure? Bet on Cismesia’s limited game experience to help him get the nod over Gano for the starting job, but don’t expect him to handle kickoffs for the entire season.

Graham Gano First team USA Today All-American, but then again FSU knows that kickers don’t always work out as planned. He has a booming leg, reminiscent of Sebastian Janikowski’s. Don’t be surprised if he handles kickoff duties, even if Cismesia wins the job for extra points and field goals. Gano could also be used in the event that FSU has a long attempt for a tie or win, as he made 3 field goals over 55 yards during his senior season of high school.

Chase Goggans The smallest kicker in the bunch and has yet to see game action. He will not win starting duties unless he can adjust to kicking off of the grass. Don’t expect a change from the previous two seasons (his redshirt and freshman years).

Kickers are a strange bunch. They can be the hero or goat at the end of a game, but that only scratches the surface of how they really affect FSU. The last great Seminole kicker, Janikowski, single-handedly pinned opponents at their own 20. Talk about making a defense happy. Opposing teams have a hard time driving 80 yards on a Seminole defense. Forget about the game or two that might be won on a field goal, the other 10 can be set up well by finding the guy that can pin them down.

As for Punter, the ‘Noles have no worries. Senior Chris Hall will be solid and average over 41 yards a punt. If the Seminole offense can move the ball at all this season, then Hall will have opponents pinned deep in their own territory. Behind him, Graham Gano is ready to help with his booming leg. The best case for the ‘Noles is that these guys rarely see any action, which means the offense is thriving. Certainly, there has better not be any flirting with the most punts in a game record, that Chris Hall almost broke last year versus N.C. State.

Many teams pay no attention to special teams, since they comprise so little of each game. Coach Bobby Bowden has won many games by taking advantage of opponents’ lack of special teams preparation. The difference between a 10 win season and 7 or 8, might be in finding a kicker to pin opponents in their own end, keeping the run-back penalties down and blocking a few more punts. It is time to return to the gambling ways of old to get those extra yards or points, when the offense can’t.