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Getting their kicks in Janikowski, Hall could play vital roles at Fiesta Bowl
Posted: Tuesday December 29, 1998 04:12 PM
PHOENIX (AP) -- If the Fiesta Bowl turns into the defensive struggle even the coaches are expecting, Florida State and Tennessee are prepared to go field goal for field goal for the national championship. In the Seminoles' corner, there's Sebastian Janikowski, also known as the Polish Powder Keg. He's a 6-foot-2, 255-pound sophomore who's been playing football only three years and once kicked a 70-yarder in practice. For the Volunteers, there's senior Jeff Hall, 6-0, 182, who kick-started Tennessee's perfect season with game-winning field goals against Syracuse and bitter rival Florida. "If it comes down to a 'kick out,' there's no one I would rather have to make a kick than Jeff," Vols coach Phillip Fulmer said. "Jeff can make it from 50 or 55. He's got a heck of a leg." So does Janikowski, a soccer player from Poland who came to the United States when he was 15 to be with his father and fell in love with football. "We're very fortunate to have him," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. "I would imagine had we had Janikowski back in the early '90s, we might have won a couple more national championships. The guy can kick the ball. He's powerful." Bowden understands the importance of a dependable kicker. His teams lost title chances twice to Miami, in 1990 and '91, when game-winning field-goal attempts went wide right. In the Seminoles' 1993 championship season, they beat Nebraska 18-16 in the Orange Bowl when a last-second field-goal attempt by the Cornhuskers sailed wide left. Janikowski has become even more important to the Seminoles since quarterback Chris Weinke was lost for the season with a neck injury early last month. Marcus Outzen will be making just his third start Monday night when No. 2 Florida State (11-1) plays No. 1 Tennessee (12-0). Janikowski won the Lou Groza Award as the nation's best kicker. The All-American hit 27 of 32 field goal attempts, including a 53-yarder against Clemson, and 42 of 43 extra points for an Atlantic Coast Conference-record 123 points. He also had three field goals in the 23-12 win over Florida, hitting a 41-yarder with 4:31 left to seal the victory. Unlike many kickers, he doesn't lift weights to strengthen his legs. He just runs and kicks to stay in shape. He says soccer has prepared him well for kicking footballs. "In Poland, I played soccer a lot, that's all I did," Janikowski said. "I knew I could kick very far from my soccer style." When he decided to play football his senior year at Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, he took the nation by surprise. Janikowski kicked a 60-yarder to clinch a win over Palatka and made several high school All-America teams. He also played forward on the soccer team that year and scored a state-record 69 goals, although he says, "that's a mistake, it was 73." Janikowski said he turned down "a lot of money" to play for one of Argentina's First Division soccer clubs so he could go to Florida State. He also was recruited by Tennessee, Miami and Michigan. In two seasons with the Seminoles, Janikowski has yet to line up for a game-deciding field goal. Not that he isn't ready to do it, but he says: "I'd rather not kick a winning field goal, I'd rather have us score six points." Hall has been a model of consistency since he arrived at Tennessee five years ago from Winchester, Tennessee, the same hometown as Fulmer. He hit on 19 of 24 field goal attempts and all 47 extra points for 104 points, giving him the Southeastern Conference record for career points with 371. He's connected on 13 of 14 field goals from inside 40 yards. While Janikowski goes about his business casually, Hall is a student of the kicking game, carefully lining up each kick and trying not to put too much pressure on himself. "This is not going to be a one person show for either team," Hall said. "Both have good defenses and both have a good running back. I just have to make sure to be prepared for whatever comes around." Against Syracuse, he hit a 27-yarder on the last play of the game for a 34-33 win, and then kicked a 41-yarder in overtime to beat Florida 20-17. He also staked the Vols to a 9-3 lead at Georgia before the offense got untracked and Tennessee won 22-3. "I have the same approach to every game," Hall said. "I always look at every kick, whether it's an extra point or a field goal, as a very important kick for the team. I don't think about who we're playing or what the game is. "It's intense each time I walk on the field because I know it's important to get those points."
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