Palm Beach County Sports Commission Presents

Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award

Palm Beach Sports

Stars of the Week

11/11/19
 

 

 

 

Who is your favorite "Star of the Week" ?
 
 
 
 
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*This voting poll does not count towards actual award winner.

 

 

Rodrigo Blankenship

Georgia

Keith Duncan

Iowa

Jake Verity

East Carolina

College football’s top kicking award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl recognizes three of the top kickers each week from FBS division teams as the “Stars of the Week.” This week’s Stars were selected from among the 20 semifinalists.

Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship made four field goals in the Bulldogs’ 27-0 blanking of Missouri in SEC action in Athens, Ga. on Saturday. The bespectacled senior from Marietta, Ga. connected from 48, 47, 29 and 20 yards to bring his season total to 19 FGs, tied for 3rd in FBS. He added two extra points and has now connected on a school-record 187 straight, the second-longest streak in SEC history. His 14 points bring his season total to a team-leading 76, tying him for second among FBS kickers in scoring. His 403 career points are just 10 shy of making him Georgia’s all-time leading scorer.

Iowa fell just short of knocking off Wisconsin, dropping a conference road game 24-22 in Madison on Saturday, but the Hawkeyes couldn’t have asked for more from junior Keith Duncan. The Weddington, N.C. native connected from 40, 39 and 24 yards out to bring his season totals to 22 field goals, a new school record which tops a mark held by three kickers including 2002 Lou Groza Award winner Nate Kaeding. The mark also ties him atop the FBS leaderboard thus far this year, including a national-best 11 kicks from 40 yards or longer. His 10-point game brings his season total to a team-leading 85, among the top ten by FBS kickers this year.

East Carolina junior Jake Verity moved into a tie for first place in the FBS in field goals by going 3-for-3 in the Pirates’ shootout 59-51 loss to SMU in Dallas on Saturday. The native of Bremen, Ga. scored from 41, 38 and 37 yards out to bring his season total to 22. Verity made all six of his extra point tries for a 15-point game, bringing his career scoring to 267 points to rank 4th on the school’s all-time list. It’s the 5th time this season he has tallied double-digits in a game and brings his season total to 92 points, the most by an FBS kicker.

The Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou “The Toe” Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.

For more information on the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and to see the “Stars of the Week” throughout the season, please go to www.lougrozaaward.com. For even more updates on the best kicking performances throughout the season, follow @LouGrozaAward on Twitter.

The Lou Groza Award will be presented live as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show in Atlanta, Ga. on Thursday, December 12. The three finalists will be honored during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with the 28th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate
Place-Kicker Award Banquet, presented by the Orange Bowl, on Monday, December 9.

 

National College Football Awards Association

The Lou Groza Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit NCFAA.org to learn more about the association.

About the Palm Beach County Sports Commission

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is a private, not-for-profit organization contracted by Palm Beach County to promote and market the County as a sports and sports tourism destination. The Commission brings sporting events and activities to the County, enhances economic impact, stimulates bed tax revenues (primarily in the off-season), and maximizes utilization of County facilities. The Commission offers a full range of event service support, corporate partnerships, sponsorships and a local membership program that support its goals. Local, regional, national and international marketing efforts are ongoing by the Commission with sports organizations and event owners. The Commission also produces sports-related programs for the residents of Palm Beach County including the annual Lou Groza Award program, the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame, and the Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches. For more information on the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, go to www.palmbeachsports.com/.

 

 

 

 

Palm Beach County Sports Commission

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(561) 233-3180
Palm Beach County Sports Commission

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Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award

 

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