CEDAR FALLS - Tyler Sievertsen grew six inches before his senior year at Kennedy High School, but by then it was too late.

He'd already decided to forget about playing a regular position on the football field.

"That was the reason I started kicking," he said, "because I wasn't big enough to do anything else."

It's turned out OK.

Sievertsen made his debut as Northern Iowa's new place-kicker Saturday night and booted two field goals and an extra point in a 20-19 loss at Iowa State. Based on that, the Missouri Valley Conference named him the Special Teams Player of the Week.

He's off to a good start in college. One game, one award. "Not bad," he agreed.

Sievertsen is a well-built young man now at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, but he stood only 5-foot-8 after his junior year at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. Then he started growing, rapidly.

He sprouted six inches that summer, outgrowing his clothes in a matter of months. He'd wake up some mornings and seem taller than he was the night before.

"I really kind of had to adjust and grow into my body," he said.

Sievertsen became an all-state kicker at Kennedy in 2008 and was named the Mississippi Valley Conference Kicker of the Year. He set or tied four school records and joined the UNI football program in 2009 as a walk-on.

He was red-shirted in 2009 and got onto the field for one play in 2010, handling a kickoff against Western Illinois. Billy Hallgren graduated as UNI's place-kicker, the job was wide open and Sievertsen won the spot in training camp this summer.

His first attempt at a collegiate field goal came before 54,672 fans at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday night. He nailed a 42-yarder to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, barely nudging the ball over the crossbar.

"It was exciting," he said. "The crowd didn't really affect me. I mean, it's kind of like a dull roar."

Northern Iowa Coach Mark Farley thought it was a big play in the game, steering the Panthers in the right direction in a hostile environment against a Big 12 team.

"He hit a tough one. That was big," Farley said.

Sievertsen drilled a 24-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead in the second quarter, then later kicked a PAT for a 13-7 edge in the third period. He didn't get to kick again, but for awhile it looked like he might be asked to try a game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter.

"I was ready for it," he said. "I really kind of wanted it, because of how the game was going."

Sievertsen battled Michael Schmadeke for the place-kicking job in training camp, but Farley said Sievertsen was the clear winner based on experience and maturity. "It was an easy decision at the end," Farley said.

Sievertsen had a perfect night as a place-kicker against the Cyclones, but he was less-than-perfect on his kickoffs. They were too short and helped Iowa State get good field position.

"I definitely could have done it better," he said.

Farley planned to give other people a chance on kickoffs this week in practice before picking someone to handle the chores at Stephen F. Austin Saturday night.

Overall, Sievertsen thought he got off to a good start last week.

"It was a little bit of satisfaction, but there's a lot to improve on, especially my kickoffs," he said. "They weren't as good as I expected them to be, but the field goals were a positive. It was good to get my first one out of the way."

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This article first appeared in the Des Moines Register).