CEDAR FALLS - Tyler Sievertsen spent two years at the University of Northern Iowa without attempting a field goal in an actual game, so Coach Mark Farley had a few questions about his new kicker when the season began.

"I didn't know what to expect from Tyler," Farley said this week. "He was new to our team and new under the pressure."

It's safe to say the kid from Cedar Rapids Kennedy is doing very well. Exceptionally well, in fact.

Sievertsen ranks among the top-5 kickers in the nation in FCS college football. That's the old NCAA I-AA division, now called the Football Championship Subdivision, and he's right there with the best kickers in the country.

Sievertsen has nailed 12-of-13 field goals and all 25 of his PATs. He leads the sixth-ranked Panthers in scoring with 61 points and is 37-for-38 all told.

"It feels good," Sievertsen acknowledged Monday, standing near one of the goal posts in the UNI-Dome. "There are still things to work on, like my kickoffs.

"You really can't get ahead of yourself, either," he said. "It's all about the next kick. You just have to stay positive and keep working at it."

Ryan Estep of Norfolk State hasn't missed this season. He's 15-for-15 on field goals and 22-for-22 on PATs.

Adrian Mora of Georgia Southern is perfect, too. He's 11-for-11 on field goals and 42-for-42 on PATs.

Chris Rogers of Sacred Heart is 11-for-11 on field goals, but 23-of-26 on PATs. Zach Brown of Portland State is 14-for-15 on field goals and 20-for-22 on PATs.

Sievertsen ranks fifth on that list due to the errant kick against Western Illinois, but his sister Meghan Sievertsen begs to differ. Meghan has studied the film and insists the kick was good.

"I'm a proud sister," said Meghan, who is the diving coach at Linn-Mar High School and a graduate student at the University of Iowa.

The entire Sievertsen family is proud of its man.

"My grandma actually drove to Iowa City to my sister's house and they watched the North Dakota State game on TV at her house (last Saturday)," he said. "She's pretty into it."

Sievertsen isn't sure if the field goal against Western Illinois should have counted or not.

"It was pretty much straight above the upright," he said. "It just depends on the ref. He can either give it to you or not give it to you.

"It's kind of funny, because the next game I hit almost the exact same kick and it went over the upright and I thought it might have been a little outside and he (the official) called it good, so I think that kind of made up for it."

Sievertsen has made three kicks from 48 yards, including a 48-yarder at the end of the first half Saturday to pull Northern Iowa within 17-13 at intermission against North Dakota State. The ball barely got over the crossbar for three points.

"They gave me credit for 48, but it stinks because the last few field goals were like 48 1/2 yards and they counted it as 48," he said. "But I didn't hit it well Saturday.

"Kyle Bernard (UNI's holder) and I were joking in meetings. We were like, 'If it had been 49 it probably wouldn't have been good. So I'll take the 48."

Sievertsen is a member of his only little team at Northern Iowa. John Hubbard is the long snapper, Bernard the holder and Sievertsen the kicker. They've worked together since preseason camp, and Farley thinks having the same trio as snapper, holder and kicker has been one of the keys to their success.

"It took a lot of practice in the preseason to get everything down, but now it's just second nature," Sievertsen said. "It's pretty simple. We'll keep working on that, because you have to keep getting better each week."

Northern Iowa (6-2) lost at North Dakota State, 27-19, but Sievertsen went 2-for-2 on field goals and has made eight straight. The Panthers dropped from No. 2 to No. 6 in the national polls this week, but still have an excellent chance of making the FCS playoffs with three games left in the regular season.

Northern Iowa hosts Youngstown State on Saturday.

"We should be able to win out," Sievertsen said, "and so hopefully that will happen and hopefully we'll be able to get that bye in the first week (of the playoffs). That would be really nice.

"Farley told us, if we're going to make the playoffs, we're going to make the playoffs to win it all. That's kind of the attitude now."

Sievertsen said the loss to North Dakota State could work in Northern Iowa's favor.

"It's kind of a gutcheck. We're not invincible. Stuff happens," he said. "So back to the drawing board."

Sievertsen has not had an entirely smooth season at Northern Iowa. He was charged with public intoxication and interference with official acts at 2 a.m. on Oct. 9, but has pleaded not guility. The trial date is Nov. 7.

Sievertsen declined comment on the charges, citing the advice of his attorney.