PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Greenwood's Jonathan Nichols would rather face the pressure of a game-winning kick than the media spotlight.
The Ole Miss junior kicker now has a taste of how to deal with both. The Pillow Academy product won the 2003 Lou Groza Award - given annually to the nation's best kicker - over Oklahoma's Trey DiCarlo and Iowa's Nate Kaeding.
Asked what was more nerve-racking, the awards ceremony or kicking a game-winning field goal, Nichols didn't hesitate.
"This is way more," he said. "Me and my punter were talking that we can go out there in front of 100,000 people and kick with no problem, but if you ask me to get up in front of even 30 people in the classroom, I can't do it."
Nichols prefers to do his talking with his leg. He's made 23 of 26 field goals this season and has made 88 consecutive extra points dating to his freshman year. He set a single-game school record for points in a game this season when he hit six field goals and added three extra points against Texas Tech.
A first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection by The Associated Press and the SEC coaches, Nichols has set 15 school records this season. He is Ole Miss' leading scorer with a school season record with 117 points.
Nichols also became Ole Miss' career leader in points scored and field goals during the Rebels' 9-3 campaign and helped the Rebels claim a share of their first SEC Western Division title.
Pillow head football Riley Myers is extremely proud of his former player.
"This is incredible when you think that there are 116 other Division I-A kickers who could have won it," Myers said. "This is the culmination of a lot of hard work and talent. He's cashed in his talent with hard work."
Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe agreed with Myers.
"First of all we're extremely proud of Jonathan and his accomplishments," said Cutcliffe. "He's the perfect example of a young man that has worked very hard and now he is seeing it pay off."
Nichols will close out his junior campaign Jan. 2, 2004, in the SBC Cotton Bowl Classic against Oklahoma State. He enters that game leading the SEC and ranking 10th in the nation in scoring, averaging 9.8 points per game. He also leads the conference in field goal percentage (85.7 percent) and ranks second in the SEC and fourth nationally in field goals made per game (2.0).
But he insists he was surprised to hear his name called Tuesday night.
"I had no clue who was going to win going into this. I thought it was all up for grabs; we all three had great years … I didn't know how much the LSU game would hurt me," said Nichols, who missed two field goal attempts in his team's 17-14 loss to LSU on Nov. 22.
"I'm very honored to win such a prestigious award. To be named the top kicker out of 117 NCAA Division I-A schools is very exciting. I couldn't have done it without my teammates."
Nichols talked to the Commonwealth on his cell phone during a bus ride from Palm Beach Gardens to Orlando, where he will be honored Thursday night during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show aired live on ESPN at 6.
So get ready, Jonathan, the media spot light is getting brighter.
