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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, November 1, 2001

Ayat's career just starting to kick in

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

When the University of Hawai'i's young kicker readied for a 23-yard field-goal attempt early in the game against Fresno State last week, the old kicker shuddered and prepared to look away from his television set.

"I saw one of the linemen turn a guy loose and thought, 'Oh, no, the kick is gonna get blocked,' " Jason Elam recalled. "But Justin (Ayat) had such good elevation on it, he made it anyway so I said, 'Hey, this guy is pretty good.'

"Then, they showed a replay of his 55-yard field goal from the week before and I'm thinking, 'This guy is really good,' " Elam said.

Good enough that Elam, the kicker by whom all others are measured in Manoa and the Western Athletic Conference, is already preparing to make room in the Warriors' record book for Ayat, a redshirt freshman.

Good enough that nine years after Elam, the second-leading field-goal kicker in NCAA history, moved on to the Denver Broncos to set NFL records, UH has been blessed with someone who is drawing both raves and Elam-like comparisons.

When Ayat cleared the crossbar from 55 yards with ease at Tulsa two weeks ago, he put some of Elam's records not only within reach but on the endangered list.

As UH records go, the kicking section has been considered the most unreachable in the book, a designation not lessened by time. While passing records have come to have a short shelf life, Elam's kicking standards have taunted a succession of good kickers with their seeming untouchability.

Twenty consecutive field goals, 91 consecutive point-after-touchdown kicks, 79 percent conversion rate on field goals, 8.83 points per game, 395 career points ... you name it and Elam probably holds the record for it. In NCAA annals, only one other kicker, Jeff Jaeger of Washington with 80, has kicked more field goals than Elam (79).

Now, for the first time, not only is Elam's school record for the longest field goal (56 yards) within range, the possibility of being a four-year performer might even give Ayat a shot at other UH and WAC marks once considered unbreakable.

"Justin has his future in front of him and he can be as good as he wants to be," said UH coach June Jones. "He can kick on Sundays (in the NFL) if he wants to. It is all up to Justin and how hard he wants to work."

"Mechanically, he looks really good," Elam said. "And, being a redshirt freshman he has a chance to be around for a while. If he gets a shot at it (the 56-yard record) and breaks it, I'm all for him."

Yet for all all the distance marks Elam holds, the real measure of filling his shoes will be in day-in and day-out consistency, not yardage. While Elam is remembered for his range with five field goals of 50 yards or more, it was his ability to make them from spots on the field when the game was on the line that distinguished him.