Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 9, 1993 TAG: 9310090100
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
All will be forgiven, though, if top-ranked Florida State should beat Miami this week, especially if the difference is a Bentley field goal.
The past two years, missed field-goal attempts against Miami cost the Seminoles an unbeaten season and cost kickers Gerry Thomas and Dan Mowrey their jobs.
"As I was watching the game last year, I was thinking to myself, `No way this could happen two years in a row,' " said Bentley, an All-American at Overland High School in Aurora, Colo. "Now I'm thinking, `No way this could happen three years in a row.' But deep in the back of my mind, I realize it's a possibility."
Not if the oddsmakers are right.
Florida State (5-0) is a 13-point favorite to beat the Hurricanes (4-0) at noon today in Tallahassee. That should ease some of the pressure on Bentley, who has had enough trouble kicking extra points, much less field goals.
Bentley, who is 23-of-30, has missed more point-after kicks than the other eight ACC teams combined.
"That's [the extra points] probably the biggest disappointment so far," said Bentley, who has made six of eight field-goal attempts. "It goes down as seven misses, but two were blocked and two came at Duke, where it was pouring and it felt like I was kicking in quicksand."
One of the blocks came at Clemson, where the Tigers' Brian Dawkins picked up the loose ball and was headed for the Florida State end zone before Bentley chased him down at the Seminoles' 12-yard line.
"I'm sure there were a lot of questions whether I was in this for the individual glory and attention that comes from being the kicker at Florida State," Bentley said, "but at least I didn't go to the sideline and pout because I missed a kick."
There may be no better-known kicker in the country than Bentley, although Florida State is best known for its kicking misadventures. Before he had ever played a game for the Seminoles, Bentley was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
The story made great issue of Bentley's recruitment, particularly his decision to turn down Notre Dame, his father's alma mater. The story was critical of Lou Holtz, the Fighting Irish's coach, and indicated that Bentley's entertainment in South Bend, Ind., centered around alcohol.
The current issue of Sports Illustrated contains letters to the editor from Notre Dame sports information director John Heisler, who said the Irish felt they had received an oral commitment from Bentley, and former kicker Craig Hentrich, who was Bentley's host.
"My purpose in writing is not to exchange blows with Scott Bentley, but to defend myself and the university that has given me the best four years of my life," Hentrich wrote. "The entire Notre Dame family deserves better than the humiliation and scarring that Bentley had tried to inflict on us.
". . . Bentley claimed that he didn't drink. Following our initial meeting, he was asked to join a party at our apartment. After telling me that he drank on occasion, we served him the alcohol of his choice. Bentley tried to portray himself as a saint, when in fact he was a typical college student."
After reading the letters, Bentley said he did not intend to reply.
"He said he wasn't exchanging blows," Bentley said. "If he wasn't, then what was he doing? It all seems pretty childish to me."
Some coaches would have objected to having a freshman on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Some refuse to let freshmen talk to the media. That has never been Bobby Bowden's style.
"I didn't mind it if he didn't mind it," said Bowden, the Seminoles' gregarious head coach, speaking before the season-opening Kickoff Classic against Kansas. "He's got to live with it. If he has his opportunity to get his picture on the cover of a magazine, he should do it."
Although he never has publicly questioned that decision, Bowden was prepared to sit Bentley after he missed a 33-yard field-goal attempt and an extra-point try in the first quarter Saturday against Georgia Tech.
"I always jot down notes before I meet with the team at halftime," Bowden said, "and one of the notes I made to myself was, `Replace kicker.' I was going to let someone else kick the extra points.
"I talked with a few of the coaches at halftime and they said, `We've got the Miami game coming up and you want to kick this kicker who [missed] it last year against Miami?' After the Miami game, hopefully, all the questions will be answered."
Although the Seminoles have outscored the opposition 228-14, Bentley said he has made some important kicks while going 6-for-8 on field-goal attempts. His field goal before the half at North Carolina put Florida State ahead 10-7 on its way to a 33-7 victory, and it was 7-0 before he kicked his first field goal in the 57-0 victory over Clemson.
"After what's happened the last two years against Miami, you can tell the coaches have put a big exclamation point next to the kicking game here," Bentley said. "There's no question that a national championship could come down to it."
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB