LONG ROAD LEADS TURNER TO FSU‏ ADRIAN FERGUSON 09/23/09 FAYETTEVILLE - More than 2,150 miles separate Fayetteville State kicker Austin Turner from his hometown of San Diego. However, the gap between the culture of his home state and the culture the sophomore has experienced in two years at FSU might be even larger. “North Carolina is very different from the west coast,” said Turner. “The west coast is all I’ve known and lived in. It’s very slow and very southern, but the people here are a whole lot nicer than they are on the west coast.” Southern standards that are commonplace in North Carolina, were foreign to Turner when he enrolled at FSU in Aug. 2008. “I’d never had sweet tea,” Turner said. “It’s kind of thought of as an east coast thing on the west coast. I fell in love with it though and I drink like a gallon a day.” Turner attended San Diego Mesa College after high school and then began his search for a four-year university. “I was looking for a place to play after my first year at junior college and I went to a special teams camp in New Jersey,” said Turner. “After that camp I got a phone call from Fayetteville State and they offered me a scholarship.” Turner, who committed to the Broncos and head coach Kenny Phillips in March 2008, said one thing about FSU stood out from other schools recruiting him. “Trust is a big thing with me,” he said. “When I was trying to decide where to go, I felt comfortable and I trusted coach (Kenny) Phillips. He was the main one I was talking to about what they thought about me. I wanted to go somewhere where they wanted me and FSU seemed like they wanted me. They said I was the missing piece to put them over the top.” Added Phillips: “We had another kid on the board when got his video tape in. We really liked what we saw from him as a kicker and a punter. We were very impressed with what we saw with him.” While his off-the-field transition has been choppy at times, Turner’s gridiron assimilation has been seamless. Through four games, Turner leads the CIAA with eight made field goals and has been named the CIAA Specialty Player of the week twice. Turner has connected on all 12 of his extra point attempts and is second in the conference in points per game (9) and punting average (39.7). “So far, for taking almost two years off of football, I’m much farther -- progress wise -- than I thought I was going to be,” Turner said. “I’m happy with the performance but I think I can get much better. My goal is to put points on the board for the Broncos and I think I’ve done my job. I was put here for a reason and I feel like my reason was to bring a championship home.” FSU has scored 12 of 14 times it’s entered the red zone (85.7 percent), a ten percent increase from 2008, which is tied for best in the CIAA with Shaw. “It’s a great turnaround to be able to have a guy that can make a long field goal,” Phillips said. ”His range is anywhere under 50 yards. If you can get him around 48 or 49 yards, he can make those consistently. With that kind of weapon on your side, that’s great, instead of a year ago where we had to get the ball within the 15-yard line to kick a field goal.” In the Broncos’ 30-20 win over Bowie State, Turner booted a 49-yard field goal – the longest in FSU history. “Before Austin leaves here, he’ll probably own every kicking record at the university,” Phillips said. “He is going to turn out to be the best kicker to ever kick at this university.” When asked about Phillips’ comment, Turner responded confidently. “To be the best in school history, no matter what it is, would be a great accomplishment,” he said. “It’s very humbling, but I’ve always grown up wanting to be the best in everything. I’ve been here for going on two years now, I love this place and I love the coaching staff. But, I’m looking for more. I want to be the best in CIAA history, in Division II history and in college history. I’m trying to go above and beyond.”