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 top kickers each week from FBS division teams as the “Stars of the Week.”

Gabe Brkic’s historic walk-off 30-yard field goal kept Oklahoma undefeated as the Sooners escaped from upset-minded West Virginia 16-13 in Norman, Okla. on Saturday night. The kick is believed to be the first in program history to win a game as time expired. The junior from Chardon, Ohio had kicked field goals of 35 and 28 yards earlier and made his lone extra point try for a 10-point game. Brkic has scored at least 10 points in 15 of his 25 career games and has made at least two field goals in nine of his last 11. His season totals improved to 8-for-10 on field goals and 14-for-14 on PATs. Brkic leads all Sooners in scoring with 38 points.

Auburn senior Anders Carlson’s four first-half field goals kept the Tigers in a game with Georgia State that they would come back to win 34-24 in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday. The Colorado Springs, Colo. native had makes of 45, 40, 27 and 23 yards, accounting for all 12 of Auburn’s points at halftime. The younger brother of three-time Lou Groza Award finalist and current Las Vegas Raider Daniel Carlson is now 9-for-10 on field goals for the season. He made his two PAT tries in the second half and is now 18-for-19 on the season there. Carlson is the nation’s top scoring kicker with 45 points.

Charles Campbell picked the perfect game to set a career mark, kicking four crucial field goals in Indiana’s 33-31 win over Western Kentucky on the road in Bowling Green, Kent. on Saturday. The junior from Jackson, Tenn. connected from 48, 46, 37 and 25 yards out to match the record for most field goals in a game by a Hoosier. The 4-for-4 effort keeps him perfect on seven attempts this season and moves his career total to a remarkable 19-for-20. He also went 3-for-3 on extra point attempts for a 15-point game, nearly doubling his scoring total to a team-leading 33 for the year.

Wake Forest kicker Nick Sciba extended his FBS-leading streak of consecutive field goals made to 19 by kicking three in the Demon Deacons’ 37-17 defeat of Virginia on the road in Charlottesville, Va. on Friday night. The junior from Clover, S.C. had makes of 46, 35 and 23 yards out, moving to the tops of two major record books in the process. With his third make, Sciba became Wake Forest’s all-time leading scorer with 338 career points, while also improving his career field goal percentage to 90.1% (64-for-71) which currently makes him the most accurate field goal kicker in FBS history on at least 50 attempts. Sciba converted his four extra point tries to improve to 18-for-18 on the year and a team-leading 39 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.

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.