Palm Beach County Sports Commission

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.”

The only FBS kicker still perfect on double-digit attempts of both field goals and extra points is Oklahoma State’s Matt Ammendola, after a 4-for-4 performance in the Cowboys’ 26-13 win over Kansas State in Stillwater, Okla. on Saturday. The senior from Lansdale, Pa. made kicks from 29, 25, 21 and 18 yards out and added two PATs. The 14-point day moved him into the nation’s top spot for kick-scoring this season, with 54. On the year, he has yet to miss on any of his 10 field goal or 24 extra point attempts.

2018 Lou Groza Award finalist Dominik Eberle’s 10 points were the difference in Utah State’s 34-24 defeat of Colorado State in a storm-delayed game in Logan, Utah on Saturday night. The Nuremberg, Germany native connected from 48 and 42 yards away. He went 4-for-4 on extra points, extending his perfect career streak to 140, the most in school history. The performance also moved him atop the Aggies’ record book for career scoring by a kicker with 290 points. 40 of those have come this year, on 7-for-8 field goal kicking and 19 PATs.

Senior kicker Cooper Garcia helped new head coach Walt Bell to his first victory by kicking a personal-best three field goals as UMass defeated Akron 37-29 in Amherst, Mass. on Saturday.  The Ventura, Calif. native connected from 38, 34 and 30 yards to bring his season total to 4-for-5 on field goals for the season. He made his four PATs for a crucial 13-point game, nearly doubling his season total to a team-leading 27 points.

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/.