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.”

Four field goals by junior Keith Duncan were vital to Iowa’s 26-20 defeat of Purdue in Iowa City on Saturday, and they also vaulted him into the FBS lead for field goals made. The Weddington, N.C. native connected from 44, 42, 38 and 30 yards to bring his season total to 17 field goals. He has made 9 of his 10 tries from at least 40 yards out. Duncan added two extra points, moving to 16-for-16 on PATs for the season. His team-leading 67 points are tied for fourth by FBS kickers and place him in the top ten among players at any position.

North Texas sophomore Ethan Mooney’s 22-yard field goal as time expired gave the Mean Green a 33-30 win over Middle Tennessee in Conference USA action in Denton, Texas on Saturday. The Fort Worth native also connected from 39, 32 and 26 yards out to bring his season total to 13-for-15 on field goals. He has had multiple field goals in four games this season but this was the first 4-FG performance of his brief career. He also made all three of his extra point attempts to bring his scoring total for the year to a team-leading 63 points, tied for 8^th among FBS kickers.

Wake Forest kicker Nick Sciba’s 25-yard game-winner was one of five field goals he made in the Demon Deacons’ 22-20 conference win over Florida State in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Saturday night. It was the first Deacon win over the Seminoles since 2011. The sophomore from Clover, S.C. added two more makes of 25 yards as well as kicks from 27 and 21 yards out, tying the school record for field goals in a game. He is 12-for-12 on field goals, second-most by kickers who are still perfect on the season. Sciba made his only extra point attempt and is a perfect 31-for-31 on PATs. His 16-point day topped all FBS kickers for this week.

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/.