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.”

Oklahoma kicker Gabe Brkic has put the FBS on notice that he is the player to catch in the race to the Lou Groza Award. The junior from Chardon, Ohio made field goals of 40, 35, 29, and 26 yards to help spark the Sooners’ epic 55-48 comeback over Texas in the Red River Showdown in Dallas on Saturday. Brkic is now 15-for-17 on field goals and leads the nation in field goals made. He added five extra points for a 17-point game, tying the program’s all-time record. He is perfect on 23 PAT attempts this year and all 124 in his career. His 68 points lead all Sooner scorers, all FBS kickers, and rank third among players at any position.

Colorado State kicker Cayden Camper managed to top his 5-FG Star of the Week performance earlier this season by making 6 in the Rams’ 32-14 defeat of San Jose State in their Mountain West Conference opener on Saturday in Fort Collins, Colo. The 6 field goals in a game are a new school record and tie with past Groza finalist Dominik Eberle for the most in conference history. The junior from Pueblo, Colo. set a career mark with a 53-yard bomb and also had makes of 38, 28, 24, 22, and 21 yards. He is now 12-for-15 on field goals for the season which ties him for third-most among FBS kickers despite them coming in just three different games. His 20-point kicking performance led the nation this week and his 46 points lead all CSU players in scoring.

Northern Illinois junior John Richardson kicked a 29-yard field goal, his career-best fifth of the game, with 26 seconds to play, lifting the Huskies to a 22-20 win over Toledo on the road in Ohio on Saturday. The Orland Park, Ill. native added makes from 47 and 26 yards out, as well as a pair from 43 yards. Richardson is 11-for-12 on field goals for a 91.7 percentage which is tied fourth among FBS kickers with at least 10 attempts. He made his lone PAT try for a career-high 16-point game. He leads the Huskies in scoring with 49 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.