FSU Seminoles

Instant celebrity for flawless freshman

Gary Cismesia's five field goals tie a Florida State record and make him the man of the hour.

By ZACHARY SPAIN
Published November 7, 2004

TALLAHASSEE - The last player off the field at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday afternoon had only played on it for the first time some 21/2 hours earlier.

As his Florida State teammates headed to the locker room, freshman placekicker Gary Cismesia was surrounded by TV cameras and photographers near midfield.

With 5:43 left in the first quarter, Cismesia made his college debut with a 23-yard field goal to put Florida State ahead 3-0 against Duke. Cismesia kicked four more, and accounted for the Seminoles' first 12 points as he tied the FSU single-game record with five field goals in a 29-7 win.

His leg kept the Seminoles afloat as their offense had early trouble, resulting in his postgame popularity. FSU kickers typically draw attention for their misses.

"If I had known he'd do that good, I'd have probably played him sooner," said coach Bobby Bowden, who benched maligned senior and former Jesuit star Xavier Beitia in favor of Cismesia on Monday. "I'm sure some plusses came out of this game. That's probably the biggest one."

It was that first field goal, his shortest of the game, that set Cismesia's career day into motion.

"I hadn't proved anything, so I got to prove something to keep my job," said Cismesia, who also converted two extra points. "I feel like I did that today, at least for another week."

He kicked two more in the first quarter, from 29 and 27 yards, bringing the milestone that Bill Capece reached first in 1980 and Sebastian Janikowski accomplished twice (1998 and '99), within reach.

Cismesia visited Capece, who makes periodic visits to practices and was on the sideline Saturday, after the third kick.

"He was telling me I was getting close," Cismesia said. "I was pretty happy that he was there."

Cismesia kicked a 40-yarder in the third quarter in a still tight game, putting FSU up 12-7. The record-tying kick came from 43 yards with 2:48 left. By then, Cismesia was comfortable in his surroundings.

"I think the guys all rallied around Weed (Cismesia's childhood nickname) after he made the first couple, and he fed off of it and got some confidence," holder Chris Hall said.

Even Beitia, whose 1-for-4 performance in last week's 20-17 loss to Maryland precipitated the change, tutored the freshman.

"He told me "good job' after every kick," Cismesia said. "He's been real supportive."

Once his onfield interviews were over, Cismesia went to his cheering section, made up of his parents, brother, girlfriend and a pair of family friends who all made the trip from Bradenton.

"They just told me good job," he said. "They were proud of me because those are the people that put in the work to get me here."

[Last modified November 6, 2004, 23:28:20]