Graham Gano, a senior from Pensacola, Florida, was slated to become the first kicker in Bobby Bowden’s 33 years at Florida State to handle field goals, kick-offs and punts until two weeks before the start of the Seminoles’ season when he tore the meniscus in his right knee. After surgery and rehab, Gano was back on the field after missing just two games. He lined up for the first field goal attempt of his collegiate career from 52 yards, and missed that kick. It would be 55 days before he missed another field goal. Graham went on to make an FSU record 18 consecutive field goals, including five straight attempts from 50 yards or more. He is the only kicker in school history to convert over 90% of his field goals in a season.

Nicholson finished the season 26-for-27 on field goals, with his only miss coming late in Miami’s MAC Championship Game victory over Toledo. With a 23-for-23 regular season, Nicholson set a new FBS record for the most field goals in a perfect regular season, topping 2012 Lou Groza Award winner Cairo Santos’ mark of 21. Add two more to start the MAC Championship Game and he made 25 consecutive field goals, matching the all-time FBS record for the longest streak in one season. Overall, his 26 field goals tied for the second-most in FBS while his 96.3% accuracy was the highest by any kicker with even 15 attempts on the year. He also set the bar for consistency by making field goals in every game of the season. Of the eight FBS kickers who made at least 23 field goals, he’s the only one who can make that claim. He kicked multiple field goals in nine games, including a trio of 3-for-3 performances. In two of those, he outscored the RedHawks’ opponent on his own, totaling 11 points in both a 23-3 win over Kent State and a 23-10 victory over Buffalo.