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.” 

Bert Auburn’s fourth field goal of the day was the winning score in Texas’ 33-30 overtime victory over Kansas State. The Longhorns moved to 8-1 for the first time since 2009 after a defensive stop backed up the 42-yard kick. The junior from Flower Mound, Texas also connected from 49, 34, and 32 yards out. He added three PATs for a 15-point performance that ties for the most by a kicker this week. Auburn has now made his last eight attempts and is tied for 6^th in FBS with 17 field goals on the season.

Arkansas won in Gainesville for the first time thanks to four field goals from Cam Little, the last of which sent the game to overtime where the Razorbacks prevailed 39-36 over Florida. The junior from Moore, Okla. kicked a 49-yarder with under a minute to play to knot the game at 33, having already scored from 41, 37, and 22 yards. He now has 8 field goals from at least 40 yards out, tied for the most in the nation this season. With three PATs, he totaled 15 points in the game, tied for the most by a kicker this week.

Collin Rogers kicked a career-long 51-yarder field goal late to finish off SMU’s 36-31 victory over Rice. The Mustangs are off to a 5-0 start in conference play for the first time since 1982. In addition to the 51-yard capper, the sophomore from Prattville, Ala. also kicked it through from 41 and 37 yards out and added three extra points. Despite being in the midst of just his second season, Rogers already holds the 7^th spot in career field goals at SMU and is just 100 points behind legends like Doak Walker and Eric Dickerson on the career scoring list.

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.

National College Football Awards Association

The Lou Groza Award is a National College Football Awards Association member. 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.