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.”

Joshua Karty didn’t miss a field goal last season, and the Stanford senior was perfect again in the Cardinal’s 37-24 opening victory on the road at Hawaii on Saturday. The Burlington, N.C. native has now made his last 21 attempts, adding three more to an 18-for-18 campaign last year that saw him named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award. Karty connected twice from 25 yards out, once from 46, and added four PATs for a 13-point game.

Southern Miss junior Andrew Stein hadn’t attempted a field goal since 2019, but he showed no signs of rust in the Golden Eagles’ 40-14 win over Alcorn State. In fact, his 4-for-4 performance on both field goals and extra points made him the top-scoring kicker in FBS this week with 16 points. The Slidell, La. native kicked a career-long 52-yarder to go with makes from 41, 25, and 23 yards out, giving him the first 4-FG game by a Southern Miss kicker since 2017.

Brock Travelstead’s first two field goals ensured Louisville was down only 15 points at the half, while his next two helped spur the program’s biggest comeback win since 2015 as the Cardinals battled back for a 39-34 win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Travelstead, the first Louisville specialist to handle both kicking and punting duties since 2011, made kicks from 38, 33, 30, and 22 yards. The junior from Acworth, Ga. added three extra points for a 15-point game.

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 the Lou Groza Award on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and Threads at @LouGrozaAward.

National College Football Awards Association

The Lou Groza Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.

For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.

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 supports 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.