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 top kickers each week from FBS division teams as the “Stars of the Week.” This week’s selections have been selected from among the 20 semifinalists.

Voting to determine three finalists out of the 20 semifinalists is currently underway. The finalists will be announced on Tuesday, November 23.

Sophomore Jonah Dalmas booted a 43-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to give Boise State a lead they would not relinquish in their 23-13 Mountain West Conference defeat of Wyoming in Boise, Idaho on Friday night. The Meridian, Idaho native also made field goals of 38 and 29 yards in the game. With the three field goals, Dalmas has moved into second place among FBS kickers this year with 22, while his 91.7% accuracy is best by anyone with at least 20 attempts. He has now 14 straight attempts without a miss, the fourth longest streak in the nation. With two PATs as well, he has scored 99 points this year, tied for fourth among kickers.

Senior Jonathan Garibay launched a 62-yard bomb as time expired to give Texas Tech a 41-38 Big 12 victory over Iowa State in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday. It was the longest field goal in the FBS this season, the longest in Red Raiders history, and tied for the second-longest in conference history. The winner also extended his consecutive field goal streak to 12, one shy of matching the program record. It’s also his second game-winner this season. Garibay has yet to miss a field goal this season. The senior from Rubidoux, Calif. has yet to miss an attempt this season, including from 45 yards earlier in the game. He also made five PATs for an 11-point game, giving him a team-leading 78 points this season.

John Richardson nailed a 32-yard field goal as time expired to give Northern Illinois a 30-29 MAC defeat of Ball State in DeKalb, Ill. on Wednesday night. The sophomore from Orland Park, Ill. had a pair of 38 yarders earlier in the game and improved to 16-for-18 on field goals for the season. He has made multiple field goals in five of the last six games, including his 5-FG performance against Toledo that was also capped by a game-winner. Richardson made his three extra point tries and is now 26-for-26 this year. His 12 points were the most by a Groza semifinalist this week and brought his season total to 74, which leads the Huskies in scoring.

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.