CEDAR FALLS - Tyler Sievertsen is a smart guy. He can do the math in his head, but he'd rather not.

Every time he makes a field goal for the University of Northern Iowa, he improves his status as the most accurate place-kicker in FCS football.

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy grad is 22 for 24 the past two seasons for 91.7 percent, which makes him the most accurate kicker in the country among active players in his division, according to the UNI sports information department.

Sievertsen knows it, but almost wishes he didn't. It's not something a kicker wants to think about when he's running onto the field to boot a field goal before 70,000 fans.

"That's definitely not a good idea to do that," he said Monday in the UNI-Dome. "I try to shy away from stats like that, but it's definitely a humbling statistic."

Sievertsen, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior, made 18 of 20 field goals last season and was named an All-American for his exploits. He's 4-for-4 this season, including a perfect 3-for-3 showing against the Iowa Hawkeyes last Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

Sievertsen has a unique way of ignoring the crowd and relaxing when he runs onto the field to attempt a field goal.

"I sing in my head before kicks," he said. "So that kind of helps."

And as it turns out, the Singing Kicker prefers kicking in road games, preferably in front of big crowds like the ones he faced at Wisconsin and Iowa this season. The bigger, and noisier, the better.

"I think it's easier playing away from home with big crowds, because the noise is kind of like a dulling sensation," he said. "They're all screaming and yelling, so you can't hear people from the sidelines or hear certain things.

"In that aspect, I love it. Because when I come here (in the UNI-Dome) and play, it's dead silent when I'm kicking a field goal. I think that's more intimidating than hearing 70,000 fans screaming at you."

Sievertsen has never missed a PAT as a Panther. He went 39 for 39 last season and is 10 for 10 this year, putting his streak at 49 straight heading into Saturday's Missouri Valley Conference opener at Youngstown State.

Sievertsen nailed a 49-yard field goal against the Hawkeyes, the longest of his career. It barely cleared the crossbar and gave UNI a 10-7 lead in the first quarter.

"When I first hit it, I didn't think I hit it very well at all," he said. "I didn't think it was going to make it. But after I hit it, I looked at Kyle Bernard (the holder) and he said, 'It's all good,' so I said I guess
it's going in."

Sievertsen has his own team at Northern Iowa that consists of John Hubbard, the long snapper from Aplington-Parkersburg, and Bernard, the holder from Cedar Falls. Bernard is also UNI's punter and had a big game against Iowa.

"I always have to give my shout-out to Kyle and John, because we have a pretty well-oiled machine," he said.

Northern Iowa Coach Mark Farley loves having Sievertsen by his side when the Panthers need three points.

"It is so nice to be able to know that you can score once you get around that 30-yard line," the coach said. "You're going to come away with some kind of points, for the most part.

"Tyler has been consistent his whole career for us, and he's made himself into that. All credit goes to him for what he's made himself into."

Sievertsen also handles the kickoffs for UNI and has added about five yards to his boots this season, thanks to off-season work.

Sievertsen had a few extra butterlies last week before the Panthers played the Hawkeyes. His parents, Cindy and Rick, were cheerleaders for Iowa's 1982 Rose Bowl team and the family had season tickets for years. His sister, Meghan, also attended Iowa and was a member of the swim team.

"I grew up going to games," he said. "It was good to get back in that atmosphere. Too bad it didn't come out the way we wanted it to."

The Panthers lost, 27-16, with Sievertsen scoring 10 points.

Sievertsen had a notion about attending Iowa and kicking for the Hawkeyes, but it didn't work out. "They contacted me my senior year (at Kennedy), and then they never called me back in the spring."

Sievertsen began attending the Midwest Kicking Camp in Iowa City when he was in the seventh grade and has worked as an instructor at the camp since his freshman year at UNI. He's received instruction at the camp from Nate Kaeding, a former Hawkeye who's now in the NFL.

"We've gotten pretty close over the years," Sievertsen said. "We text each other after games. We're pretty close. He's definitely been one of my mentors."

Sievertsen has scored 115 points in 16 games for the Panthers, but he'd rather not talk about those numbers.

"I try not to think about stuff like that. You can't get too into the stats," he said. "Nate Kaeding told me, you're only as good as your next kick."