Palm Beach County Sports Commission

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – 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.”

In the most anticipated game of the season, senior Jonathan Doerer was in the thick of the seesaw battle between Notre Dame and Clemson. The Charlotte, N.C. native scored a career-high 17 points as the Irish edged the Tigers 47-44 in a double overtime thriller in South Bend, Ind. on Saturday night. The win snapped Clemson’s 36-game regular season winning streak and put the 7-0 Irish atop the ACC standings. Doerer connected on field goals from 45, 44, 27 and 24 yards for his second career 4-FG game. He made his five PAT attempts to bring his scoring total to a team-leading 63 points, ninth among FBS kickers.

Evan McPherson showed his leg strength yet again in Florida’s 44-28 defeat of Georgia in their annual rivalry game in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday. The win, their first over Georgia since 2016, puts the Gators atop the SEC East. The junior from Ft. Payne, Ala. booted field goals from 51 and 50 yards out, pushing his perfect mark on long distance kicks to 4-for-4 and giving him the most from 50+ in the nation. He also connected from 34 yards out and made his five extra point tries. McPherson is 8-for-9 on field goals in his four games this season and has not missed a PAT in 21 tries.

USF shares place-kicking duties between two players, calling upon Spencer Shrader for the long ones. The sophomore from Lithia, Fla. made a career-long field goal of 49 yards and added makes of 47, 46 and 41 yards as the Bulls lost a 34-33 heartbreaker to Memphis in AAC action in Memphis, Tenn. on Saturday. It was a career day for Shrader, who kicked four field goals in a game for the first time and became the first Bull to kick four in a game since 2017. After only getting one attempt in the first six games, he’s now 4-for-5 on the year, yet already in the national top-10 for field goals from 40-to-49 yards.

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.

National College Football Awards Association

The Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker 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 and @NCFAA on Twitter 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, the Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches, and the annual Holiday Basketball Classic of the Palm Beaches. For more information on the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, go to www.palmbeachsports.com.